Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse
by Dis Lexic
Summary: Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.
1. Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **Yes, another Outsider Chronicles, this time its a Naruto one where the OC is reborn as everyone's least favorite fangirl magnet, Sasuke. Before we begin, I should point out that I know little about martial arts beyond what I've read online and seen in Kung Fu movies, so keep your complaints to yourself if I make mistakes. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

" _What the..?"_

I blinked my eyes, but was unable to see anything in the darkness around me.

" _Where am I?"_

I could feel something surrounding me, pressing in from all sides. Normally such a situation would send me into a panic attack, but for some reason I felt safe and content, as if I was in the embrace of my mother.

" _What happened?"_

The last thing I remembered I was leaving the Sports Center in the break between bouts to get a drink and then...nothing. At that moment, I was broken from my confusion as my surroundings suddenly compressed, pushing me in the direction my sense of balance told me was down, head first.

" _Whats going on?"_

The compression hit me again and I caught a glimpse of a flash of light and was suddenly filled with a desire to get out, as well as the familiar indications of a panic attack brought on by claustrophobia, making me even more desperate to get out. It took a while, but a combination of squirming and whatever was pushing me allowed me to finally get out and into the light. At first my vision was a little hazy and I could only make out blurred blobs and my hearing wasn't much better, only able to pick up garbled sounds. My nose was working a little better allowed me to smell that I was in some kind of hospital, although the scent was a little different from what I was used to in medical facilities. Nothing overt, just a very slight difference that indicated that they used something slightly different to sterilize the place.

Then, something impacted my behind, making me cough up liquid I didn't know I had in my lungs.

"Hey, whats the big idea!" I shouted.

Or rather, tried to. Instead the shout came out as a babys wail.

" _Oh shit."_

I felt someone pick me up, wrap me in something and pass me to another person. I blinked a few times, clearing my vision as best I was able to and looked up at the two gigantic faces looming over me. Well, gigantic for me anyway as I had apparently just be reborn. Well, this is going to take some getting used to.

* * *

" _Stupid fucking arsehole of a God!"_ I screamed in my head.

It had been a few days since my birth and my senses had finally developed enough to be able to see and hear properly. The first thing I had discovered was that I had apparently been reborn into the Naruto universe if the conversations about Ninja, Hokage and Clans I'd managed to overhear were anything to go by. However, that wasn't the reason for my internal cursing of the Creator, oh no, the reason was I'd just discovered exactly who I'd been reincarnated as.

I wasn't my own person, instead I'd been reborn as everyone's least favorite, duck butt haired, revenge obsessed emo, Sasuke Uchiha. How do I know? Well, the fact that I was currently in Itachi's arms while Mikoto and Fugaku watched from the corner of the room was a rather significant clue.

I wasn't entirely sure what the family was saying as the language wasn't one I was familiar with, although I could pick up subtle similarities with Japanese, but I could guess that they were probably talking about me being adorable, completely missing the disbelief and rapidly growing horror that filled me.

" _Nooo, I don't want to deal with Fangirls!"_

Fortunately it didn't take long for me to recover from my horror as my baby body wasn't really capable of holding an emotion for that long, regardless of the fact that my mind was that of a twenty year old, although I did cry for a very long time, despite the nurses attempts to calm me down.

* * *

Growing up again was a rather odd experience, not to mention boring, at least at first. As a baby there was very little to actually do other than watch and listen, although it did allow me to try and learn the language. Despite what the many Fanfics I'd read over the years claimed, it was apparent that the Elemental Nations did not speak Japanese. Oh there were similarities, such as the suffixes used and a few words, but it was a different language. If we were on Earth, I'd say that they have the same route, but since the days here were 25 hours long, that idea was pretty much thrown out the window. That said, the similarities and my own knowledge of Japanese did come in handy and gave me a leg up on learning it, allowing me to learn how to speak before my first birthday.

The next job was learning to walk, or rather, building up the muscles in my legs to allow me to walk. I managed that two months later. After learning to walk, things began to get a little more interesting as I began working my way through the Uchiha clan library, focusing on history and other such information rather than Jutsu and fighting techniques until I could actually practice them. In a bizarre twist, the written language of this world was pure Japanese kanji, which I could read without a problem. I think that my rapid development might have freaked my parents out slightly, but their pride at having a second prodigy in the family outweighed that.

* * *

When I turned three, my father started some very basic training in the form of exercises to help build up muscles for future training, as well as teaching me to access my Chakra.

"Focus Sasuke," said my Father from where he sat opposite me in a lotus position, "Look within yourself for your Chakra. It should appear as a warm light in the middle of your stomach."

I did as I was told, making excellent use of my prior skills in meditation to sink into a meditative trance. I focused on my stomach and quickly became aware of a small, pale blue flame flickering there. I gently prodded the flame, watching as it reached towards it, before grabbing it in my hand. That proved to be a mistake as my mental projection seemed to burst into flame and my actual body began to burn. It was like the burn one experiences after intensive exercise and didn't break my concentration. What did that was the absolute agony that hit me when my newly awakened Chakra reached my eyes.

It felt as if someone had just slammed a red hot spike into both eyes at the same time and smashed them both with a hammer. I screamed in agony and pressed my hands into my eyes, falling on my side and curling up into the fetal position. I was vaguely aware of my father rushing over to me, calling for help, but it was largely ignored as I tried desperately to stop my eyes from oozing out of their sockets. Then, something hit my neck and I fell into blissful darkness.

* * *

The next time I woke up it was to find myself in a hospital bed with my family gathered around me, all looking worried and my mother and Itachis eyes were both red from crying. Dad on the other hand looked like he was torn between worry, incredulity and pride.

"Sasuke!" shouted Mother when she saw I was awake, scooping me up into a hug that nearly sent me back into unconsciousness, before holding me at arms length and glaring at me, "Don't you ever do that again! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

Dad put a hand on Moms shoulder.

"Calm down Mikoto," he said, "It wasn't anything he did."

"Then what was it?" demanded Mom, dropping me on the bed and turning to Dad, "Were you teaching him something dangerous?"

"No, I was not!" protested Dad defensively, "I was just teaching him to unlock his Chakra!"

"Then what put him in hospital?" demanded Mom.

Instead of answering, Dad turned to me.

"Sasuke, channel so Chakra into your eyes," he said.

I blinked in confusion, but did as I was told. It took a few tries as I wasn't familiar with the process of channeling my Chakra, but I eventually managed to channel a little into my eyes. Almost immediately my eyesight sharpened to the point that I could count the tiny cracks in the paintwork on the wall across from me and everything around me seemed to slow. My mind also seemed to speed up, allowing me to predict the path of the dust particles floating in the air. When I looked at my family, I found that I could see an aura around them and even something flowing under their skin that I quickly summarized was their Chakra. Startled by the abrupt change, I looked over at the mirror on the wall and saw that my normally black eyes had turned red with three Tomoe markings lazily spinning around the pupil. A fully mature Sharingan.

"What the…" I bit of the last word since it was one that no three year old should know, even one as advanced as I was.

"T-thats impossible," stuttered Itachi, staring at my eyes with slack jawed shock that made me very glad for the Sharingan's ability to remember anything with perfect clarity. It wasn't often one got to see an expression like that on the face of someone like Itachi after all, even if it was a few years before he became an ANBU.

* * *

The revelation that I had apparently awakened a Fully Mature Sharingan quickly spread throughout the Uchiha Clan and I became an instant celebrity, being the youngest person ever to unlock the vaulted Doujitsu. They would probably have been even more impressed (Or horrified) if they found out I'd also unlocked the Mangekyo level.

I'd discovered that little fact the evening after being released from the Hospital. I was stood in my ensuite bathroom (the perks of being the son of a Clan Head) practicing turning my Sharingan on and off when a slamming door made me jump and momentarily lose control of my Chakra flow, resulting in more Chakra than normal entering my eyes, causing them to morph into a new form. Despite the fact I was effectively Sasuke, my Mangekyo wasn't the same as Canon Sasuke's atom like form, instead it was pair of red infinity signs in an X shape on a black background. After a moment to be surprised by the unexpected revelation, I immediately deactivated it, not wishing to damage my eyesight before turning five and making a mental vow to keep the Mangekyou completely hidden unless absolutely necessary. I didn't really feel like being kidnapped by ROOT any time soon.

* * *

Following the revelation of my Sharingan awakening, which I attributed to my past life and the experiences therein, life went back to normal, although Dad did start paying a lot more attention to me than before. The years passed by with very little of interest happening, other than Father and Itachi's relationship deteriorating and the Clan becoming more and more cut off from the rest of the village. My future knowledge allowed me to easily see the signs of the planned Coup, although I didn't do anything. After all, what could I do? I was only a child after all, no matter how skilled or powerful.

* * *

I was quickly proving to be just as much of a prodigy as Itachi, although how much of that was future knowledge and how much was my innate talent was up for debate. I managed to get the Grand Fireball Jutsu down after just a couple of attempts, which did disappoint Father slightly since Itachi got it in one, but I still grasped the technique faster than most. I had also started more sirius training and, when I went out to play, I'd also started to practice the Katas of my old styles I'd learnt in my previous life. In my last life, I'd learnt martial arts from a fairly young age and had become fairly good. While I was far from a master, I was still good enough to earn a black belt and win several tournaments. The interest sprang from a few to many Jackie Chan movies, leading me to study Wushu. I actually had my doubts as to whether or not the styles I knew would be of any use in a world of Ninja, but it served as a decent foundation. Then again, in a world mostly related to Japan, a never before seen fighting style (I checked and found no sign of any mention of Wushu in either the Uchiha or the public library) could give me an advantage, which is one of the big reasons why I kept that particular bit of training to myself.

* * *

It was around this time that I entered the Academy, something I was dreading and anticipating in equal measure. Anticipating because it was something new to do and dreading because I didn't want to have to deal with fangirls. Fortunately, we were all a little young for that sort of thing, so I was safe from those monsters for now. Upon entering, I immediately started making friends with what would become the Rookie 9, starting, oddly enough, with Hinata.

It was during the break time of the first day when I met the shy Hyuuga heiress, I was looking for somewhere out of the way to eat my lunch in peace, away from the loud brats that made up most of the school, when I stumbled on Hinata being surrounded by a bunch of Civie students who looked like they had more brawn than brain cells and would likely be drummed out of the Academy before the year was over, at least if they didn't get murdered by Hiashi first for picking on his daughter.

Apparently, rumors of Hinatas kind nature were already abundant and this bunch of morons had decided to make themselves feel good by picking on a Clan Heir. Not very smart, but these were the kind of people who thought that being a Ninja was all about epic battles and fame, rather than subterfuge and death. Unfortunately for them, I despise bullys and wasn't the type of person who let someone else be picked on, even if said person was a member of a rival Clan, not that such things bothered me in the slightest. I steeled myself for the inevitable fight and made my way over to the group, pausing only to rest my packed lunch on a nearby bench.

"Hey!"

At my shout, the bullys turned around and fixed me with with a piggy gaze. The leader of the bullies was a huge, fat boy that reminded me of a baby killer whale and made me wonder how in the world he planned to make it through the first PE session, let alone the whole of the Academy. He was even larger than the Akimichi and they had the excuse that their Clan Jutsu relied on their body's stores of energy to work, plus a lot of their body mass was actually muscle. This boy was pure fat. He had a mop of blond hair and watery blue eyes that contained little intelligence and a heck of a lot of malice, at least for a child.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, "Don't you know that picking on a Clan Heir is an incredibly bad idea?"

The fat boy snorted, sounding like the pig he resembled.

"What, this little freak?" he asked, "I'm just showing her her place compared to us normal people. Now beat it, or you'll be sorry!"

My eyebrows shot up. Wow, just wow. I knew that some of the Civilian residence of the village were jealous of the Bloodlines of the Shinobi clans and more than a few people were freaked out by the Hyuugas eyes, but to call the Heiress of one of the Noble Clans a freak could and would put you on their shitlist and, since this was a Shinobi village, chances are you'd disappeared and never be seen again. It really didn't help that this ignorant little bully and his gang reminded me of another baby whale who picked on someone for being different. However, that wasn't important, what was was making sure that these morons didn't become the victim of the Hyuuga Clans Gentle Fist. Broken bones were a lot easier to recover from than ruptured organs after all and got the message across much easier.

I picked up a nearby stone and threw it at the lead bully, nailing him in the back of the head. He turned around, his face turning red with anger.

"I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't being clear enough," I said, my voice and eyes colder than an arctic gale, "Here let me make it simpler. Stop picking on her or I'll break your legs."

The bully looked at me incredulously for a moment, before glancing at his goons.

"Get him!"

Apparently they didn't recognize the fan symbol on my back or they may have been a little more weary about attack me. Or maybe they wouldn't since they were a bunch of idiots. As a general rule, Clan children start training before they enter the Academy, usually in the basics of their Clan styles, meaning that they had a head start on any Civilian students. It wasn't much and any serious trainee would be able to quickly close that gap, but on the first day their was no way a Civie could match a Clan child of a Clan like the Uchiha, who's early training was focused primarily on our Clan Taijutsu style. Technically they shouldn't have stood a chance against Hinata either and would have been nothing but groaning bags of pain, but the girls kind and timid nature meant that she didn't fight back. I on the other hand had no such issues and was armed with a lot more than just my Clans Style.

The gang of bullys charged me, but their movements seemed so sluggish after training with Itachi and Father it was easy to avoid their clumsy attacks. Easily dodged the first clumsy punch from a boy with a face like a rat, retaliating with a series of lightning fast jabs to various pressure points to make his body lock up and moving onto the next bully. It took less than ten seconds to take out all four members of the little gang, leaving them groaning on the ground, completely unable to move as I'd forced their muscles to seize up with a few well placed pokes. I walked towards the lead bully, who was shaking in his sandals and had pissed himself if the wet patch on his trousers was any indication.

"S-stay back!" he stuttered, "Do you know who I am?"

I ignored him and continued my advance. As I reached him, the fat bully took a clumsy swing at me, which I easily dodged, before stepping past him and approaching Hinata. Without his goons, the Bully wasn't even a blip on my radar.

"Hey there Hyuuga-san, you OK?" I said, kneeling down beside her.

Hinata looked up at me, revealing her tear stained face with a red mark on her cheek where the bully had smacked her. I tutted and pulled a tissue from my pocket and started cleaning her face of tears.

"Hey, why are you helping that freak?!" shouted the Bully, apparently regaining his bluster, "She should be taught her place, not helped!"

I smirked and looked over my shoulder at the bully, fixing him with a Sharingan enhanced glare.

"Oh, you really are an idiot," I said, "You just saw me take down your four friends with ease and you can see my Clan Emblem and yet you still want to piss me off. Do you want to die so badly?"

With that I placed the kid in a simple Genjutsu that would show him his worst fear. I ignored his screams as I helped Hinata stand up.

* * *

After that interesting meeting, I had invited the shy heiress to eat with me under a tree in the corner of the playground. We were soon joined by the future Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had been dragged over by Ino herself to introduce herself to us, intending to make friends with the other Clan Heirs in the class. I immediately jumped at the chance to nip her fangirlism off at the bud by starting the foundation of a genuine friendship. I also found Choji and Shikamaru to be excellent company, despite the latter's lazy attitude. Unfortunately, other friendships were less successful. I found Kiba to be abrasive and annoying and went out of my way to avoid spending too much time with him and Shino was so silent that it was hard to become friends with him. That said, we did get on fairly well and were able to build a working relationship. As for my future teammates, Naruto and Sakura, well, things weren't looking good. Sakura was already beginning to show signs of fangirlism, especially after Ino helped her come out of her shell and her voice was oh so annoying it made me want to claw my ears out. Naruto on the other hand, well our negative relationship can mostly be attributed to him.

* * *

I didn't believe in holding back in the spars we took part in during the Academy after learning the basics of the Academy Style. I did limit myself to the Academy and Uchiha Styles, but that was all the limitation I was willing to do, leading to me becoming one of the best Taijutsu fighters in our class, falling just behind Kiba who's clan was highly focused on Taijutsu and it showed, even without Akamaru, his dog partner. As a result of this, and the constant defeats Naruto suffered at my hands from the instructors always pairing us up, he had developed a rather competitive attitude towards me, despite my good sportsmanship. I didn't mind though since their was a while until we had to work as a team and we would hopefully grow up.

* * *

Shortly after I entered the academy, I obtained some weighted arm and leg bands to help with my training through the use of a Henge I learnt from watching some Clansmen training (Sharingan FTW!).

Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as stealthy in my actions as I thought, although I was living in a Ninja village so its not all that surprising that _someone_ noticed what I was up to. Unfortunately, that someone just happened to be the Snake Bitch herself, Anko Mitarashi. To make matters worse, the day she found me was a day I was practicing the Snake Style Katas, which were very similar to the style used by her and Orochimaru, which lead to my current position, tied up with snakes, hung upside down and looking into a pair of very angry brown eyes.

"Where the hell did you learn that style brat?" demanded Anko as her snakes hissed menacingly in my ear and she held a Kunai dangerously close to my crotch.

I gulped, mind desperately trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn't see me neutered. The Snake Style was the only Taijutsu style that even closely resembled the Animal Styles within Wushu and information on it was scarce since it was Orochimarus personal style he'd developed himself and only taught to a single person before leaving the Village. It wasn't exactly the same and relied on the nearly supernatural flexibility Orochimaru and Anko possessed, but the two styles were similar enough to mistake one for the other.

"Um, I read about it?" I tried, only for the snakes to tighten their grip on me and Ankos grip to shift, "OKOK, but I doubt you'd believe me if I told you."

Anko raised an eyebrow.

"Try me."

"OK, but can you put me down? Its hard to think like this."

Anko gave me a look, before her Snakes dispersed, depositing me on the floor.

"Now talk," she said, spinning her Kunai around her finger.

"Alright, I developed the style on my own," I said, earning a disbelieving look.

"Really? You expect me to believe that a brat not even out of the Academy can develop their own style?" she asked, "What kind of an idiot do you take me for?"

"I don't," I replied, "But whether you believe it or not, its the truth."

Actually it wasn't, but telling her I learnt it in my past life would just get me thrown in the nut house.

"Alright hotshot, how?" asked Anko, "How did you come up with it?"

"Simple, I watched the movements of a snake and incorporated them into the style I already know," I said, "I started a few years ago when I was bored one day and thought it would be a good idea to have something like it as an ace in the hole."

Anko looked thoughtful, before taking a good look at me.

"Wait, you're that Uchiha kid who unlocked his Sharingan when he was three!" she exclaimed, making me sigh and roll my eyes.

That particular feat had earnt me more than a little unwanted fame in the village. I had never been the type to seek attention and that hadnt changed.

"Thats me," I said, "The Sharingan came in handy for memorizing how the snake moved, but I prefer not to use it. Too much of a short cut."

Anko looked thoughtful.

"Do you have any more?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Any more animal styles?" she repeated, "I noticed you coming here quite often and you always seem to be practicing something different."

"Uh, yes," I said, quickly coming up with a story, "After I succeeded with the snake, I tried with a few other animals. I even found a few tigers in the forest outside the village proper and made one for them."

The village of Konohagakure was a rather large place, but it had nothing on the actual size of the walls that surrounded the village. Altogether, the entire area within the area walled off by the First Hokage had enough space inside to comfortably fit the entire city of London three times over, while the actual Village as it stood was only about the size of Manchester. While having that much open space may seem like a security risk, in actuality, the forests within the walls were regularly patrolled by Ninja and were riddled with traps. The forests were filled with wildlife that generally avoided the built up area and were harmless to those residence that went out into the woods for training or hiking.

"Thats pretty impressive," said Anko, ignoring the possible danger I'd supposedly placed myself in, "Having styles hidden could give you an excellent advantage over enemy Ninja in the future."

"My thoughts exactly," I said, mentally congratulating myself for my quick thinking.

"Would you be willing to teach me some?"

That caught me a little off guard. Despite the fact Anko wasn't a Jonin yet, she was still an Chunin and I wasn't even a Genin yet, so the idea of me teaching her anything was damn near ludicrous.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, sure I'd misheard her.

"Did I stutter? I asked you to teach me some," she repeated.

"B-but I'm still an Academy Student!" I spluttered.

"So? If you're good enough to make a new Taijutsu style from watching animals, you're good enough to teach it," she said, "In exchange, I'll teach you some of my tricks."

I hesitated for a moment before deciding, fuck it, and nodded.

"Alright," I said, "I'll teach you what I can."

Anko grinned at me and just like that, a rather odd friendship was born.

* * *

After that, admittedly rocky, first meeting, Anko and I started meeting up fairly often. I taught her the basics of the Animal styles of Wushu and she taught me some slightly more advanced techniques. Noting insanely advanced since I was still only eight years old, but knowledge of the body and its weak points, interrogation techniques and a few handy Genjutsu were all on the cards, as were Tree Walking and Water Walking which, despite my knowledge of their existence, I'd never been able to get. While I had read about them in the library, they were something you could only really learn from a teacher. I kept these skills hidden though, not wanting to tip anyone's hand. After all, if I was to skilled then Itachi might decide to off me with the rest of the Clan. Speaking of which...

* * *

It had been two years since I had met Anko and I was now ten years old and beginning to feel rather restless. The Clan was beginning to get more and more tense, although that tension was well hidden, and in the past few weeks there had been three murders, including Shisui, so I knew that the Massacre was approaching with the speed of a runaway train. However, it turned out to be closer than I imagined.

The day after Shusuis death, I was returning home from the Academy when I became aware of something strange. It wasn't anything concrete, more like a feeling, but I instinctively knew something was wrong. I sped up as I approached the Gates to the Compound and saw them unguarded. I ran through the empty streets, my footsteps echoing eerily around the streets, not that I noticed. I reached my house and paused, taking a deep breath to prepare myself for what lay inside. Despite the fact I knew this was coming, I knew that this was going to be a scarring experience. I just hoped the prior knowledge would help temper it. Suitably steeled, I pushed open the door.

The first thing I noticed was the smell of blood and the second was the sight of Itachi stood over the dead bodys of our parents.

"Hello brother," said Itachi as I entered.

His back was to me so I could see his face, but I could tell by his stance that he was only just holding back tears. Ankos training and my own knowledge allowed me to pick up on the subtle cues.

I swallowed and stepped into the room.

"Itachi, what happened?" I asked, playing my part, "What happened to Mom and Dad?"

Itachis shoulders stiffened.

"I killed them," he said.

To anyone else the statement would have come across as cold and emotionless, but I could pick up the slight wavering in the tone.

"Why?" I asked.

"To test myself," he said, "I wiped out our entire clan, every last one of them because I wanted to see how far I've come."

I was extremely tempted to call bullshit on him, but I didn't want to tip off anyone who may be watching that I knew about the Coup or I may end up having an 'accident'.

What happened next was pretty much what happened in the series, with me shouting like a distraught child, Itachi telling me to get stronger and come after him once I had eyes like him, before placing me in a Tsukuyomi. I can't remember much of what happened in the illusion and I'm pretty sure thats a good thing, but I do know that it didn't take me long to pass out.

* * *

The next time I came too, it was to find myself in a hospital bed with the Hokage and Elders at my bed side. The old folks offered their condolences and assured me that Itachi would be placed in the Bingo Book as a Missing Nin. I nearly hit the two Elders with a Sharingan empowered illusion for that since even an untrained Civilian could have picked up on their insincerity. The Hokage on the other hand was genuinely sorry and I knew why. The old man hadn't wanted the Clan to be killed, that decision was made by the Elders and Danzo behind Sarutobi's back. After a short while the Elders and Hokage left, but not before I placed a very subtle Genjutsu on the former two that would lay dormant for a while and activate at an inopportune time and make them think they were a chicken. It probably wouldn't last very long, but it would humiliate them. I think the Hokage may have noticed me place it if the slight smirk on his face was anything to go by, but he didn't say anything.

* * *

I wasn't in the hospital for long since their wasn't actually anything wrong with me short of Chakra exhaustion which was healed after a good nights sleep. The Doctor did tell me to come back for counseling since I had just seen my brother stood over the corpses of my parents and, training to be a Ninja or not, I was still a kid. It was actually kind of strange. I knew what my Father was planning and the deaths were tempered by the fact I knew they were coming and my adult mind, but that didn't mean I didn't care for them. After all, reincarnated or not, one cannot be raised by a person and not come to love them. I would be alright, but I would probably break down later when I actually let myself feel it.

It was as I was contemplating this that I arrived back at the Uchiha compound. I eyed the empty streets for a moment, before turning around and heading to the main residential district of the village. It didn't take me long to reach the apartment building where Anko lived and I was soon knocking on her door. Their was the sound of something falling over and footsteps from inside, before the door opened to reveal a tired looking Anko in nothing but a rather lacy set of purple knickers and bra. Normally I'd take a moment to appreciate the view, but a combination of rapidly approaching hysteria, lingering exhaustion and a healthy fear of the Snake Users throwing arm kept my gaze from straying. Hey, I may have the body of a ten year old, but I've got the mind of an adult and can appreciate beauty.

"Brat? What are you doing here?" she asked blearily, evidently having only just returned from a mission.

I took a shuddering breath.

"Can-can I talk to you?" I asked.

Anko picked up on my tone and quickly brought me inside.

"Whats wrong Sasuke?" she asked once she'd sat me down.

I took another breath, before I launched into the tale of what had happened that night. Anko was a good listener and, when I had finished and broke down into tears, she wrapped me in a comforting hug. While Anko wasn't really the huggy type, she was a good friend if you could put up with her sadistic tendencies.

* * *

The next morning I woke up on Ankos sofa, where I'd fallen asleep the night before after crying myself to sleep in Ankos arms, to the sound of someone banging on the door. I sat up, blinking blearily, as Anko came storming out of her bedroom looking pissed as all hell and wrenched open the door, heedless of the fact she was still only wearing her underwear.

"What the fuck do you want?" she snarled at the unfortunate Chunin on the other side of the door, "I've just got back from a three day mission and haven't got much sleep, so unless you have a very good reason for disturbing me, I'm going to use you as target practice!"

The Chunin gulped and steeled himself.

"The Council has ordered that all Ninja Chunin rank and higher gather for an emergency mission," he said quickly, "Sasuke Uchiha has disappeared from his Clan Compound."

Anko stared at the Chunin for a moment, before wordlessly stepping to the side and letting the Chunin see me sitting on her couch, likely looking like something the cat dragged in.

"You found him, now piss off!"

* * *

Unfortunately, rather than leaving quietly and letting us get some rest, the Chunin returned an hour later with a demand that I show up before the Council. Or at least, thats what I read in the scroll he was carrying as Anko used the poor bastard as a practice dummy for her torture techniques as punishment for waking her up twice. I was sorely tempted to tell the Council to go shove a Kanabō up their ass and go back to sleep, but I'd probably end up their one way or another anyway since they could just send an ANBU to pick me up. Besides, if they were going to do what I thought they were going to do, it would be much more satisfying to flip them off to their faces. So, after convincing Anko to let the poor schmuck go and go back to bed, I followed the traumatized Chunin to the Hokage mansion, inwardly making a note to never wake Anko up again. It was amazing what she could do with a tube of toothpaste, a spatula and an egg whisk.

* * *

I entered the Council Chambers and immediately suppressed a sigh as I saw the looks on the Civilian Council members faces. It was going to be one of 'those' Naruto worlds apparently. You know, the ones where the Civilians decide its a good idea to hand Sasuke (or in this case, me) everything on a silver platter and practically guarantee that he goes nuts and becomes an entitled dipshit? Fortunately, I wasn't an impressionable ten year old, but a mentally stable 20 year old in a ten year olds body so it was probably just going to annoy me.

"Ah, welcome Sasuke-sama," said one of the Civilian Council members, a large, walrus like man with thinning blond hair, very little neck and a bushy mustache, "We were worried when we found that you weren't in your home."

"I just saw my parents lying in a pool of their own blood in that house," I said, "Plus I kinda didn't want to be alone after that."

The fat man looked uncomfortable, so one of the other members of the council took over instead.

"May I ask why you were at Mitarashi's house?" he asked, a sneer clear on his face at the mention of the Snake User.

"Its none of your business, but we happen to be friends," I said, directing my glare at him.

The man, who apparently lack survival instincts, sniffed disapprovingly.

"Someone of your standing shouldn't be associating with a loose cannon like Mitarashi," he said.

He probably would have said more, but the Kunai embedded in the wood next to his head shut him up quickly.

"Can someone please tell me why I'm here, other than these idiots having a panic attack because I wasn't in the place my family were killed just a few nights ago?" I growled in irritation.

I was still feeling the affects of my emotion purge the night before and it was making me cranky. The Civilians winced at that and remained silent, while the Shinobi side, who had remained silent until now, looked amused and curious. The Elders and Hokage were unreadable.

"Thought not, now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving," I said,heading to the door, "Oh, and there's no way I'm staying in the Uchiha Clan compound on my own. Laters!"

I left the room.

* * *

After that little confrontation I moved in with Anko, who was more than willing to put me up at her place, rather than having me stay on my own. She proved to be an excellent anchor for a while since my emotions would flare up at random times. I had a bit of experience with suppressing bad memories, but I also knew the importance of letting them out over time, so I did so, during which times Anko served as a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to. She really was an excellent friend, despite her sadism.

My other friendships also blossomed. Without my Father breathing down my neck about making friends with those he deemed as 'inferior' to the 'Great Uchiha', I was able to be far more open with the friendships than I was before. Unfortunately, with the advent of the Uchiha Massacre, it somehow triggered a massive influx of Fangirls, although for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. Near as I could tell, the Civilian Girls (And they were all from civilian families) had somehow gotten it into their head that I was some kind of brooding hero who needed to be looked after and babyed. I suspected that their parents had put them up to it in an attempt to get their hands on the Uchiha Clans wealth and secrets. Fortunately, Ino wasn't among the fangirls and helped me escape from them on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, Sakura was and had somehow come to the conclusion that Ino liked me too, despite the fact that she never made any indications to that effect, but it still resulted in the end of the two girls friendship.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just the Fangirls who were annoying me in school, but some of the teachers as well. A few of them, most likely Civilian born Shinobi, had decided that it was a good idea to start coddling me, giving me easier tests and fixing my answers. I had not been happy when I found out and immediately reported it to the Hokage, resulting in those teachers being sacked and the Council being given an Ultimatum. Leave me the hell alone! While some people may appreciate the leg up, I knew that it would lead to overconfidence on my part, which would end in death. I wanted to become as strong as I could possibly be and that meant hard work and intensive training.

Finally, after another two years, Graduation day rolled around.

 **And thats the end of the first chapter. I hope it made sense since I had to go back and change a few things and may have missed something I should have changed. Before I sign off, a few things.**

 **Mangekyo Sharingan. Yes, Sasuke did indeed awaken his Mangekyo at the age of three. Before anyone says anything, I have my reasons. The requirements of activation is witnessing the Death of someone close to you and this Sasuke is a reincarnated Soul with 20 years worth of memorys, which is what triggered the activation of his fully mature Sharingan. As for the Mangekyo, it was triggered by his own Death. He may not have witnessed it, but I'd say experiencing it qualifies, don't you? For now its going to be a last resort since its still in its default state and Sasuke has no intention of going blind.**

 **OP Sasuke? No, I don't think he is. True, he is more talented than Canon Sasuke, but thats because he knows whats coming and is working hard to prepare for it. That said, he hasn't made any plans because theres very little he can actually change. Outsiders can only change events through interaction with people involved in said events, which means he can't avert any event where he can't interact with the people involved.**

 **Kung Fu. That was added on a whim, just like Ankos involvement.**

 **Parings. Already planned, but they won't come around until the Chunin Exams.**

 **Crossovers. Heck yeah, but again, they won't appear in any great amount until after the Chunin Exams.**

 **Language differences. I find it hard to believe that a land on an entirely different planet would have exactly the same language as one from earth, so I made it so it doesn't. However, they do have similarities, like the suffixes etc. I also decided to make a slight change to the length of the day, just to make the difference between Earth and whatever planet they're on more obvious.**

 **Yes, I stole Dudley, his gang and Vernon from Harry Potter as the bullys and one of the Council members. That was more due to my lack of imagination and willingness to put any effort into such minor characters than anything.**

 **And with that, I sign out. The future chapters likely won't be this long, I just wanted to cover the childhood years as quickly as possible. Until next time, leave me a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back with the real start of the story. I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 2

I sighed as I leant on the desk in front of me, only paying the slightest amount of attention to what Iruka was actually saying. The Exam was tomorrow, so we'd been spending the past few weeks doing nothing but revision, which was dead boring. So boring that I actually fell back on Narutos tactic of performing pranks on the teachers who annoyed me, although my pranks were a little more subtle than that orange wearing morons, mostly Genjutsu based and on a timer so they triggered at the worst possible time. Still, even pranking assholes got old after a while and I was glad that the exam was tomorrow so I'd have something a bit different to do.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the end of the day yet and we were apparently being made to practice the Transformation Jutsu again after Naruto got caught by Iruka while painting the Hokage Mountain.

"Alright everyone, line up!" shouted Iruka once he was done yelling at Naruto.

I sighed and got to my feet, joining the line of irritated students waiting for their try.

"Alright, transform into me," said Iruka, calling each person up.

It didn't take long for me to reach the front and by that point I was so bored I didn't care any more.

"Alright Sasuke, your turn," said Iruka.

I stepped up to the plate and channeled my Chakra.

" **Henge!"**

Irukas jaw immediately dropped at the sight of my transformation. I had turned into Iruka, but I'd taken a leaf out of Narutos book and turned it into a Sexy Jutsu.

"W-what the hell?" demanded Iruka once he'd managed to re engage his brain, "S-sasuke, what are you doing?"

"I'm so bored," I said in femIrukas voice, striking a sexy pose, "Care to help me with it?"

I blew him a kiss and he was immediately blasted back with a massive nosebleed.

"Wow, I had no idea you were such a narcissist Iruka-sensei," I said as I dropped the transformation with a wide, Narutoesque grin on my face.

"SASUKE, I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU!" roared Iruka, shooting back upright with tissue shoved up his nose.

"Hey, don't blame me, I'm bored," I replied, ignoring the looks I was receiving from my classmates, ranging from surprise to incredulity to disbelief.

For some bizarre reason, people seemed to forget I was actually more like Naruto than Itachi or the stereotypical Uchiha. I had actually earnt quite the reputation around the village as a prankster on the same level as Naruto, albeit by a nickname and hidden behind a mask. The name Karasu was as feared as Naruto's among the population of the Village.

Iruka looked like he was trying to say something but was unable to find the words to do so, so instead he just waved me away and called up the next person, who just so happened to be Naruto. One puff of smoke later and Iruka was slamming back into the blackboard from another nosebleed.

"NARUTO, STOP JERKING AROUND!" he yelled.

* * *

After school, Iruka had both Naruto and I hard at work cleaning the paint off the Hokage Monument as detention for our antics. Naruto was complaining as usual, while I just used the opportunity to practice my Chakra Control with the Leaf Exercise.

"I'm not letting either of you go until you clean all of it off," said Iruka from where he was sitting on top of the Seconds head.

"So what, its not like I've got anyone waiting for me at home," retorted Naruto.

I glanced over at the slightly younger boy, noting the slight tremor in his tone. For all his bluster, the kid was still just a lonely kid. Apparently Iruka could hear it too because he sighed and invited Naruto out for Ramen after we finished.

"What about you Sasuke, do you want to come?" asked Iruka.

"No thanks, I've got plans tonight," I said.

"OK, just don't forget that the test is tomorrow," said Iruka.

I nodded and turned back to the paint covered mountain.

* * *

Half an hour later we were done and went our separate ways, Naruto and Iruka to Ichiraku Ramen and me to a place I hadn't been near since _that_ night, the Uchiha Compound.

As I walked through the silent streets, I couldn't help but remember all that had happened during my childhood, parties, festivals, celebrations and the occasional less than happy event, like a funeral. Memories, good and bad, that existed alongside my older memories from before. They were all precious memories, even if the Uchiha Clan did end in tragedy.

Eventually, I reached the temple on the far edge of the Clan Compound and made my way to the seventh Tatami mat, lifting it up to reveal the trapdoor that lead to the Secret Meeting Place of the Clan. I had never actually been down there, having been forbidden by my father after he had told me of its location and after the destruction of the Clan, I hadn't been able to face being in the Compound, let alone go down into the Meeting Place. But, with my graduation coming up, it seemed like as good a time as any.

I took a breath to steel myself and descended the steps. At the bottom, I stopped and looked at the dark chamber and the tablet at the end. I walked over to it and gazed down at the apparent gibberish engraved on the surface. This was the object responsible for so much suffering, both past and present, and I was sorely tempted to smash it to pieces, but first I wanted to know what it actually said.

It was mostly as I expected, information on the Mangekyo, how to control the Tailed Beasts, how the Moon Eye Plan would save the Uchiha etc. However, as I reached the end of the readable section with my Mangekyo, I noticed something odd. The actually writing on the stone had not changed. Instead, the Sharingan allowed me to see writing that would normally be meant that their was something else carved into a stone that could possibly mean something. I deactivated my Sharingan and instead pulled out my hand held torch, shining the light on the stone. Immediately I could tell that, whatever was written here wasn't in Japanese since it was using the Latin Alphabet, or whatever the equivalent was in this world.

I ran my hand over the carved words, frowning as I began to pick out words I recognized. I wasn't entirely sure what the language was, it definitely wasn't one I was familiar with, but I was sure I'd seen it somewhere before.

" _So, you've finally come,"_ said a voice from behind me.

I spun around, eyes searching for the intruder, only for them to land on the large cat that was sat at the bottom of the stares, looking at me through orange eyes that held an intelligence that was beyond any other cat I had ever seen. It had shaggy black fur, large, tufted ears and large paws that seemed to be too bigger than they had any right to be.

"Who's there?" I asked, my eyes darting around the room, ignoring the cat that had probably just wandered in the open trapdoor.

" _I'm right here,"_ said the voice, seemingly coming from the cat, _"Stupid Humans, never seeing whats right in front of them."_

"Wait, was that you?" I asked, looking back at the cat that was licking its paw.

The feline yawned and put its paw down.

" _Of course it was,"_ it said, _"You act like you've never seen a talking cat before."_

"Well to be fair, I haven't," I said, "So does that make you a summon?"

The cat chuckled.

" _Oh no, I'm not a Summon,"_ said the cat, _"I'm a Werecat."_

I raised an eyebrow.

"A Werecat? Really?"

" _Is that really so hard to believe?"_ asked the supposed Werecat, _"After all, you are living in a fictional world as a character you used to hate."_

My eyes widened and I took a step back in shock.

"W-what?" I stuttered, "W-what are you talking about?"

" _Oh don't play dumb with me,"_ said the cat, amusement clear in his tone, _"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You are an Outsider, a soul reborn into a world they know to be fiction."_

I stared at the cat for a moment, before I managed to find my voice.

"Who are you?"

The Werecat yawned and lay down.

 _"I go by many names,"_ he said, _"If you are looking for my proper one, you will have to look elsewhere. However, you may call me Solembum."_

"Solembum, as in the cat that hangs around Angela?" I asked.

" _Thats the one,"_ said the cat, _"But you already knew that, just like you know what language that stone is carved with."_

"The Ancient Language," I muttered, turning back to the tablet, "So what, does it hold the secrets of the Grey Ones or something?"

" _Don't know, don't really care,"_ said the Werecat with all the energy of a Nara, _"I'm just here to deliver a message."_

"What message?"

" _Be Careful. Your very existence acts as a magnet and throws the entire future into flux. Simply by existing, you have derailed plans and plots and with every step you take, the Timeline shakes and changes. As a Replacement Soul rather than a New Soul, you don't need to interact to change events."_

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

" _Find out for yourself,"_ said Solembum, getting to his feet and turning to leave, _"I could care less what you stupid humans get up to. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."_

The Werecat left, leaving me staring after it incredulously.

* * *

The next day I was still thinking about the rather...interesting meeting after arriving in school. Fortunately, the only part of the test was performing the Clone Jutsu since most of our grades came from coursework and tests, so I had plenty of time to think about it. It was really rather strange, but I actually believed what Solembum had told me, despite the fact it seemed impossibly. Hell, before I'd been reborn, I would have considered reincarnation into the Naruto world impossible, so whats a few more suprises? However, it wasn't the fact I was willing to believe anything that made me trust the Werecat, but instead some kind of deep seated instinct. I _knew_ that everything the shapeshifting cat had told me was true, even if I didn't know how.

Meeting Solembum had also made me think of what the rest of the world hid. It was completely unreasonable to think that the Elemental Nations was the only continent on the planet considering the fact the entire continent was only about the size of Asia on Earth, a little fact I'd learnt by comparing a map of the Elemental Nations with maps of Earth I remembered from my previous life.

"Sasuke Uchiha," called Iruka from the door that had just opened to emit an ecstatic looking student with a brand spanking new headband.

"Hnn," I grunted as I got to my feet and followed Iruka into the testing room, mentally yanking my mind back on track for the test.

"Alright Sasuke, whenever you're ready," said Iruka, taking his seat behind the desk.

Less than a minute later I left the room with my headband around my neck and went back to my thoughts.

Due to the shortness of the test, it didn't take long to get through everyone and we were soon let go. All the other kids rushed out, chattering excitedly about being Ninja and running to proud looking parents. The only exception was Naruto who, as expected, had failed. I looked over at the swing where the Jinchuuriki sat, alone and couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt. I had tried to offer help to Naruto, but his competitive nature and the fact he viewed me as something as a rival, despite my best efforts, resulted in him turning me down. Still, I knew that he'd be approached by Mizuki, so not all was lost.

"Hey Sasuke, you coming?" shouted Ino from where she was standing with our friends and their families.

Choji had invited all of us to a celebratory BBQ at his family restaurant after the tests had been concluded. Naruto had been invited as well, but had understandably turned down the invitation.

"Sure," I called and, with one last glance at Naruto, joined my friends.

There was nothing I could do for him right now and I knew that approaching him would likely just make him angry.

We had the next day off to allow time for the teams to be put together by the Hokage and Jounin teachers, so I decided to go for a walk around the village and stock up on supplies. I already had a basic set of Shinobi supplies, but only fully fledged Ninja could get the really good stuff. It was as I was leaving the weapons shop with a brand new set of brand spanking new Kunai and Shuriken when I saw it, a herbalist shop with a bright cheery sign and a short, curly haired woman sat outside holding a frog in one hand and writing with the other. My eyebrows shot up, although I wasn't entirely surprised to see the shop or the woman after meeting Solembum.

I walked over to the shop and the woman looked up as I approached, a smile appearing on her face as her eyes fell on me.

"Hello young man," she said. In English.

"Hello Angela," I greeted in the same language, not bothering to hide the fact I knew who she was, "Why are you holding a frog?"

"You really shouldn't ask questions you already know the answer to," she said.

"Uh huh," I grunted, "I think that the Toad Clan would protest to you proving that Toads don't exist."

"Maybe, but I've never bowed to peer pressure," said the Witch, "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering what you were doing here," I said, "In Konoha I mean."

"I like to be where the action is and theres plenty of action going on in this village," said Angela, "Besides, I couldn't pass up the chance to meet a real Outsider."

"Why do I get the feeling you won't tell me what you mean by that?" I asked

"Because I won't," was my answer, "But dont you worry, you'll understand eventually."

I sighed.

"Do you have anything you can tell me?" I asked.

"Only that you will change the world," replied the Seeress, "And I don't just mean this tiny corner of it. One day, you will influence the outcomes of many a war."

"Whoo boy, no pressure or anything," I muttered.

"Oh don't worry your pretty little head about it," said Angela, "You won't have to do it alone. You'll have your team, Sensei and lady to help."

I gave her a look.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm a Seer remember?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at the odd womans antics.

"So wheres Solembum?" I asked, "Doesn't he usually hang around you?"

"Oh, hes off chasing a long whiskered female half his age," said Angela, "In fact, here they come now."

I turned to follow the Witch's gaze and saw the Werecat running down the street towards us in hot pursuit of a very familiar brown cat that all Ninja knew and feared as Tora the Demon Cat.

"Huh, so Toras a Werecat?" I mused, "That explains a lot. Well, I suppose I should get going. I've got an early start tomorrow."

"Before you go, take these," said Angela, tossing me a scroll.

"Whats this?" I asked, unrolling the scroll to reveal a Seal with the Kanji for Sword in the middle.

"A little something from a distant relative," said Angela, winking at me.

I blinked and glanced down at the seal.

"Relative? But Itachi and I are the last Uchiha."

"The last Uchiha in the Elemental Nations," said Angela, "There are others with your blood, ones who left during the Warring Period. There are probably quite a few members of other Clans in other lands who have forgotten their family's past. That belonged to one of your distant relatives before he gave it to me. Said it held too many bad memories to keep using it."

I looked back down at the scroll in my hands, before applying a small amount to Chakra, causing a puff of smoke and a sword to appear in my hand.

It was a western style hand and a half sword, with a sky blue sheath capped with an odd, dark grey metal I didn't recognize, engraved with leaf designs. The neck of the sheath and crossguard of the sword were also made of the same material engraved with similar designs. The pomal was an egg sized sapphire held in a four pronged claw made of the same dark metal and the hilt was wooden, wrapped in black leather and silver wire to create a decent grip.

I gripped the hilt of the sword, noting that my hand fit the hilt like it was made for it, and drew the blade a few inches, revealing an azure blue blade with a faint groove running up the blade and a rune I didn't recognize engraved on both sides.

"This is a Riders Sword," I muttered, glancing at the serenely smiling Angela, "Whose?"

"Telling you would be no fun, now would it?" said the Witch, "Its much better if you find out for yourself. Now off with you, I have potions to attend to."

She vanished inside her shop, leaving me staring incredulously after her. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

 **And thats the end of this chapter. Before anyone gives me grief over the Eragon stuff, let me just say that the extent of the crossover FOR NOW will be Angela, Solembum and Sasuke's new sword. After the Chunin Exams, I'm going to end this story and start a sequel in the proper place. That said, you should know that, by definition, my Outsider Chronicles stories are Crossovers, usually massive ones, with a powerful main character, in this case Sasuke. Yes, hes going to be strong, but that doesn't mean he's going to be taking down the likes of Zabuza or Orochimaru single handedly any time soon. He is still a Genin after all.**

 **I probably should have mentioned this in the last chapter, but anything that happens after the end of the original series will be completely ignored, other than the history stuff obviously. As such, no one will be getting attacks powerful enough to create moon's or wipe out entire villages because I find that to be just plain silly. Oh, and I probably will be changing the past as well since this is Fanfiction and I can mess with the world as much as I like.**

 **Now, its time to sign off and leave you lot to review. See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back for the next chapter of this story. Before we start, I made a slight alteration to the first chapter, but its only the design of Sasukes Mangekyo, so its probably not even worth mentioning. That said, enjoy!**

Chapter 3

The morning after my meeting with the mysterious Witch saw me getting ready for my first day as a real Ninja, getting dressed in my new uniform, consisting of a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back and covered in subtle dark patterns, similarly designed dark trousers with bandages wrapped around my ankles, a black scarf that I could pull up like a mask, a pair of metal bracers with a hidden blade and retractable scalloped blades, and my headband, which I wore as a belt.

Once I was dressed, I made sure I had lunch and a book to read for when Kakashi was inevitably late. The book in question was one on Tsurugi (Japanese straight sword) fighting styles, which was the closest to the Riders Sword I could find. Trying to use a Katana style with a two edged sword was asking for trouble and self made injuries. I'd already memorized the book (Yay for Sharingan) and now just needed to do some training and maybe find someone to teach me how to really fight with it. After all, individual training was noting compared with real training with a teacher.

I grabbed the scroll containing my new sword and left my room, calling a quick goodbye to Anko, who was looking like she'd rather still be in bed rather than going to work, before I ran out the door, to the end of the hall and out the floor to ceiling window. Most of the Shinobi accommodation in the Village had very large windows that were set on pivots to allow Ninja to make a quick exit or entrance in case of an emergency. I dove out of the window and landed on the next roof with a roll, before leaping to my feet and taking off across the rooftops, laughing as I went. I'd always loved moving fast and that hadn't changed.

* * *

It didn't take me long to reach the Academy and when I did it was to find Hinata waiting for me by the gates. The two of us had become good friends over the years, despite the disapproval of her Clans Elders, and I'd managed to help her gain a bit of confidence. While I highly doubted she'd ever be an excellent fighter, I had at least helped her shake the idea she was worthless, even if my idea of confidence training was a little unorthodox. Instead of helping her train her Gentle Fist, I took to Karaoke night. Hinata didn't need any training, she was extremely proficient in her familys style, the only thing she did need was a confidence boost and sticking her on stage in front of a crowd of people with a microphone had done wonders for that. Turns out that Hinata was absolutely amazing at singing.

"Hey Hinata!" I called as I alighted in front of her.

"Hello Sasuke," said Hinata, smiling at me, "How are you?"

"Fine," I said, "Although I can't help but worry about who I'm going to be teamed up with."

"How so?" asked the Hyuuga as we headed inside.

"Well, as a general rule, they group the best boy and girl in the year with the dead last," I said, "Unfortunately, that means that Naruto and I are guaranteed to be on a team. While I don't have any problem with him, I'm worried that Naruto will protest."

Hinatas cheeks pinked slightly at the mention of her crush, before she frowned.

"Why don't you and Naruto get along?" she asked, "I mean, you both like playing pranks and causing trouble."

"Its probably because of Sakura," I grumbled, "I have no idea why Naruto likes that damned harpy so much."

By this time we'd reached the classroom and had taken a seat in the middle row. Hinata was getting more than a few glares from the few remaining Fangirls who had made it to graduation, which she ignored as easily as I ignored the looks of longing.

"Hey Sasuke, you ready for team selections?" asked Ino from the seat behind me.

I sighed.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, "I just hope someone managed to beat Sakura."

Speak of the devil and she shall appear. At that very moment, the door slammed open and Sakura came bursting into the room with another fangirl hot on her heels, a pug faced girl who came from one of the Merchant Clans in the Village.

"Ha, I win!" crowed Sakura, "That means I get to sit next to Sasuke!"

I groaned and dropped my head onto the desk as the rest of the Fangirls started arguing over who would sit next to me, wondering if I could get away with turning the lot of them to ash with Amaterasu. I was distracted from my fantasies of slaughtering all the Fangirls by a thump on the desk in front of me, making me look up and find myself staring into a pair of angry blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" I asked Naruto as he glared at me.

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted when the boy in front of him stood up, bumping the blond and making him fall forwards. Fortunately, I was expecting it and performed a quick Substitution with Hinata, who gave a squeak of surprise a moment before the twos lips connected. For a moment there was silence, both children's eyes widening in surprise as their cheeks burned red, before they broke apart. Naruto looked dazed and unsure, while Hinata's eyes had glazed over and she gave a happy little squeak before fainting.

I snickered as an amused Ino lightly hit me on the back of the head.

"That was mean Sasuke," she admonished, "Mean but masterfully done."

I just smiled evilly and lightly pushed Narutos shoulder, causing him to topple over onto the seat below him, which was thankfully empty after the previous occupant had joined his friends at another table. It was this scene that Iruka walked into, with Ino and I laughing, Hinata past out in her seat with a bright red face and Naruto upside down on a seat with his legs in the air.

"Do I even want to know?" asked the teacher.

"Probably not," I said.

Iruka sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, wake up Hinata and Naruto and we'll begin."

Ten minutes later, the two dazed Genin had been revived, although they were still bright red and Hinata looked like she was going to pass out again any moment, and Iruka was finally finishing his spiel about us being Ninja and how it made us adults, before moving onto the team announcements.

"Team 7 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha," said Iruka, ignoring the reactions of said students.

"Oh god dammit," I cursed as the pink haired Harpy screeched in my ear.

"Iruka-sensei, why does a great Ninja like me have to be paired with a slob like him?" demanded Naruto, who had apparently recovered from his kiss induced haze.

"Out of all the Graduates, Sasukes grades are by far the best," said Iruka, "Yours on the other hand are the worst, so we put the two of you together to balance out the teams."

"But…!"

Irukas glare shut Naruto up before he could protest and continued reading of the teams.

"Alright, we'll break for lunch," said Iruka, "Be back here in an hour to meet your Sensei."

I opened my mouth to suggest that we should all eat together, but by the time I'd turned my head, Naruto was already out the door and there was no way I was going to eat with Sakura on my own. I glanced at Sakura, who was distracted by a shiny object or something, and snuck out the window before she could ask me to eat with her.

* * *

I walked through the streets of the village, absently chewing on a rice ball as I thought over my new team and what it meant for the future. Despite my best efforts, Sakura and Naruto were still as annoying and obnoxious as they would be in Canon, which could make teamwork problematic. Still, they had managed in the series and they had to deal with the uncooperative Sasuke as opposed to the ray of sunshine that was yours truly so maybe I was worried over nothing.

"A full mind can be as deadly as an empty one," said a familiar voice.

I sighed and turned to find myself standing outside of Angelas shop with the witch herself sat outside stirring a cauldron full of what looked like slowly bubbling mud.

"Do I even want to know what thats for?" I asked.

"Not in the slightest," said Angela, "Now, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"Wasn't it you who said not to ask questions that you already know the answer to?" I asked.

"And what makes you think I know anything?" responded Angela.

"Because your a Seeress," I said bluntly, "There's very little you don't know."

"True enough," said the Witch as she pulled a stick out of her sleeve and waved it over the cauldron, "Why don't you come in? This potion needs to brew for 24 hours, so I have some time."

I followed the witch into her shop, channelling Chakra into my eyes to improve my night vision to allow me to see in the darkness within the shop. A colorful bird with wide tail feathers and a sharp, powerful beak looked at me inquisitively from a cage near the window. The walls were covered with plants; vines clung to the ceiling, obscuring all but an old chandelier, and on the floor was a large pot with a yellow flower. A collection of mortars, pestles, metal bowls, and a clear crystal ball the size of my head rested on a long counter.

I followed Angela to the counter at the back of the room, carefully stepping around complex machines, crates of rocks, piles of scrolls, and other objects I didn't recognize. The wall behind the counter was covered with drawers of every size, some of them were no larger than my smallest finger, while others were big enough for a barrel. There was a foot-wide gap in the shelves far above in which lounged Solumbum, looking as lazy as lazy can be.

"Wait here for a moment," said Angela, before disappearing into the back.

I leant against the counter, deliberately avoiding the plain wooden rod that sat near my elbow.

"So, did you ever manage to catch Tora?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

Solumbum opened one eye and looked at me, before flicking his tail and closing the eye again.

"I wouldn't bother," said Angela as she came out of the back room with a leather pouch in her hands, "Solembum doesn't wake up this early in the day."

She lay the bag on the counter, then poured a handful of smooth bones, each slightly longer than a finger, each with different runes and symbols were inscribed along their sides.

"These," she said, touching them gently, "Are the knucklebones of a dragon. Don't ask where I got them; it is a secret I won't reveal. But unlike tea leaves, crystal balls, or even divining cards, these have true power. They do not lie, though understanding what they say is . . . complicated. If you wish, I will cast and read them for you. But understand that to know one's fate can be a terrible thing. You must be sure of your decision."

"You're willing to give me a reading?" I asked, "Why?"

"Because you intrigue me," said Angela, "You and your team both. I am intrigued to know what the future holds."

I looked at the Witch for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Alright, lets hear it. Cast the Bones for me."

Angela's face became grave as she grasped the bones in each hand. Her eyes closed, and her lips moved in a soundless murmur.

"Manin! Wyrda! Hugin!" she exclaimed, the words echoing, and tossed the bones onto the cloth.

They fell all jumbled together, gleaming in the faint light. The Witch leant over the bones for a moment, before sitting up with a smirk on her head. As she did, I caught sight of a flash of red on her forehead before it was gone. I narrowed my eyes but didn't say anything.

"I was right, this is an interesting reading," she said, "See this?"

She placed a hand on a trio of bones that had a series of claw like scratches inside a white circle, three triangles arranged in a larger triangle over a red spiral and a pair of infinity symbols crossed over the Uchiha fan.

"These three bones represent your team and indicate a great future for all of you. You will all be great heros to many and you will need to work together. With your knowledge and skill, the Foxes courage and sheer bullheadedness and the pink Dragons strength and power, you will be able to do great things and save to many lives to count."

She moved on and touched another three bones

"Here the wandering path, lightning bolt, and sailing ship all lie together—a pattern I've never seen, only heard of. The wandering path shows that there are many choices in your future, some of which you face even now. I see great battles raging around you, some of them fought for your sake. I see the mighty powers of this land struggling to control your will and destiny. Countless possible futures await you—all of them filled with blood and conflict—but only one will bring you happiness and peace. Beware of losing your way, for you are one of the few who are truly free to choose their own fate. That freedom is a gift, but it is also a responsibility more binding than chains."

"Great, any good news" I grumbled.

"As it happens, yes," said Angela, indicated to the last bone.

The image on this was that of a blooming, pink rose with a green stem covered in thorns against a full moon.

"I See a great love in your future," said Angela with a smile, "The moon indicates that she will be someone of high standing and the pink rose indicates that she will be from the desert, but the thorns indicate that she is strong and dangerous."

"Sounds like I'm in for quite a ride," I said.

"Indeed," said Angela, "But the most interesting people are."

I rolled my eyes and glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"Well, I'd better get going," I said, "I need to go and meet my team so we can get our destiny started."

 **And thats it for this chapter. With Angela doing her thing, you lot should be able to guess what I have planned for our heros later. I should point out that, while it seems that I'm bashing Sakura now, I do plan for her to shake of her fangirlism before to long and become a force to be reckoned with. Eagle eyed viewers may even be able to guess who Angela really is as well.**

 **I took a few bits from the Eragon books for Angelas reading, but its mostly my work.**

 **Until next time, please leave me a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back for the meeting with Kakashi and the bell test. I don't have anything to add here, so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

"Where the hell is he?" demanded Naruto, looking out the door for the fifth time in five minutes.

The other squads had long since been picked up and left and Iruka had vanished around half an hour ago to teach another class. While I had been expecting Kakashi to not show up for hours, it was still rather annoying. Fortunately, I'd bought a book.

"Naruto, shut up and sit down," I said, not looking up from my book.

"Yeah Naruto!" shreaked Sakura.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my book.

"What are you doing Naruto?" demanded Sakura a few minutes later, making me look up again.

Naruto was stood on a stool, sticking a board rubber between the doors.

"This is what he gets for being late!" said Naruto.

"I'm not involved in this," said Sakura, moving to sit next to me.

"What are you reading Sasuke?" she asked after a few seconds.

"An old Bingo Book," I said, "I wanted to know about our Sensei, so I borrowed this from the library. Its a bit out of date, but the information is still fairly accurate."

"He can't be that great if he can't even be on time," grumbled Naruto.

"Kakashi Hatake, also known as Copy Ninja Kakashi or Kakashi of the Sharingan, son of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang," I said, reading from the book, "He graduated from the academy after just one year at the age of 5, promoted to Chunin at the age of 6 and Jonin at 12. He was trained by the Fourth Hokage along with his teammates, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, both of whom are now dead. He is one of the strongest Ninja in the village, despite his lazy attitude. Threat level, high, do not engage alone."

I snapped the book shoot and looked up to see my teammates staring at me in surprise. At that very moment, Kakashi entered the classroom, the rubber falling and bouncing of his silver hair.

"Well, my first impression is, I hate you all," said Kakashi with an eye smile, "Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

He vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"So, now we're all here, lets introduce ourselves," said Kakashi once we were all gathered on the roof, "Tell everyone your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, stuff like that."

"Why don't you go first Sensei?" asked Sakura, "Show us how its done?"

"Well, OK," said Kakashi, "My name is Kakashi Hatake, I my likes and dislikes are none of your business. You're too young to know about my hobbies and as for dreams for the future...hmm, I've never thought about it."

" _Well, that was expected,"_ I thought.

"Alright, you go first blondy," said Kakashi, pointing at Naruto.

"My names Naruto Uzumaki, I like Ichiraku Ramen and I dislike the three minutes it takes instant Ramen to cook," said Naruto, "My hobby is trying different types of Ramen and my dream...Is to become Hokage!"

"Next, the pinkette," said Kakashi, sounding board.

"Oh, I'm Sakura Haruno," said Sakura, "What I like, well, the boy I like…"

She glanced at me and giggled.

"My dream for the future…"

She glanced at me again and squealed.

"I hate Naruto!"

I groaned and dropped my head into my hands as Naruto collapsed onto his hands and knees, tears running down his cheeks.

"And finally, the Uchiha.

I looked up and sighed.

"My names Sasuke Uchiha," I said, "I like training, reading and my friends, I dislike Fangirls and morons."

I shot a glare at Sakura, which she didn't seem to notice.

"My hobbies are researching the past and learning new techniques. My dream for the future is to become the best Shinobi I can possible be and see the world beyond the Element Nations."

The others looked at me in confusion, but Kakashi spoke up before they could ask me what I meant.

"Now that we're all introduced, lets begin," he said, "Since its late we'll start our duties tomorrow."

"Ooh, what are we going to be doing?" asked Naruto, "Rescuing a princess or maybe defeating a rogue ninja?"

"Survival training," said Kakashi.

"But we did that at the academy!" protested Naruto.

"True, but this time, your opponent will be me," said Kakashi, "And it won't be the same as what you did at the Academy."

"What do you mean Sensei?" asked Sakura.

"Hehehe."

"Whats so funny?" asked Naruto.

"Oh you're not going to like this," said Kakashi, "You see, before you can truly be called Genin, there's one more test you need to pass. And it has a 66% rate...of failure. Those who fail will be sent back to the Academy."

"WHAT?!" shrieked Naruto and Sakura.

"B-but then what was the point of the Graduation Exam?" demanded Naruto.

"Oh that was just to weed out those who had no chance of becoming Genin," said Kakashi, "Meet at Training Ground Seven tomorrow at seven. Oh, and don't eat breakfast or you will throw up."

With that, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Sakura and Naruto both looked like the world was ending before them and even I was a little intimidated and I knew exactly how to pass the exam with ease.

"OK, I'll see you two tomorrow then," I said, "Oh, and make sure you eat breakfast."

"But Kakashi-sensei told us not to," protested Sakura.

"Yes, but if you don't eat, you won't be able to fight at your highest level," I said, "Its better to risk puking than it is to run out of steam before the end of the test. Besides, Kakashi is well known for being at least three hours late for everything."

"Really?" asked Sakura, "How do you know that?"

"I live with a Special Jonin," I said, "She's always complaining about Kakashi being late for everything. Anyway, I gotta go. See ya Sakura, Naruto."

I leaped off the roof and jumped off in the direction of the Uchiha Compound.

* * *

While I wasn't living there and likely wouldn't until their was someone to keep me company, I had been going through the Clan Liberty and, more importantly, translating the Ancient Language on the tablet in the Hidden Room. It...wasn't going well. It had been years since I'd read the books and even then I hadn't memorized anything of the language except for the fact it was based on Old Norse. Not that that really helped because…

"I can't speak Old Norse!" I yelled, grabbing my head as my frustration finally boiled over, "This is impossible!"

" _Well, you seem to be having fun,"_ said a familiar voice.

"What do you want, stupid cat?" I grumbled, not looking up.

" _Well, I was going to offer some help, but since you're being so rude, I think I'll go and find Tora,"_ said Solumbum.

"Help? You're going to help me translate this?" I asked, looking up at the Werecat.

" _Of course not,"_ said Solumbum, licking his paw, _"But you could always get Angela to teach you the Ancient Language."_

I blinked and opened my mouth, before closing it again. The truth is I hadn't thought of that, although in hindsight it was obvious.

"Why didn't I think of that?" I asked.

" _Thats the problem with geniuses, they always miss the obvious,"_ said Solumbum.

I glared at the Werecat, who ignored me.

* * *

The next day I arrived at TG7 at six and unsealed my sword and began to move through the katas of the Tsurugi style I'd chosen. I needed to make a few alterations due to the differences between the Western style sword and the Tsurugi designs, but I was improving. I wasn't anywhere near good enough to use my sword against another trained swordsman yet though.

I was so into my training that I completely missed the arrival of my teammates and nearly jumped out of my skin when Narutos voice cut through my concentration.

"Wow, thats so cool Sasuke!" shouted the Jinchuuriki, "I didn't know you could use a sword!"

"I'm still learning," I said, slowing my heart rate back to acceptable levels.

"I've never seen a sword like that," said Sakura, eyeing the Riders Sword in my hand, "Why is it blue?"

"Something to do with the forging process," I said, "Not entirely sure though. A friend of mine gave it to me, said I could get more use out of it than her."

"Awesome!" shouted Naruto, "Hey, is Kakashi-sensei here yet?"

"He is not and won't be for another three hours," I said, "I did mention that yesterday. Did you two eat breakfast?"

Before they could answer, Naruto and Sakura's stomachs decided to save them the trouble by rumbling loudly. I rolled my eyes and walked over to my bag where it sat near the posts. I pulled out two ration bars.

"Here, you two need to eat so you can fight at your best."

My teammates hesitantly took the bars and looked at them.

"Are you sure this is OK?" asked Sakura.

"Trust me," I said.

They hesitated, before the hunger of not eating breakfast got the better of them and they bit into the bars, grimacing at the dry and tasteless bars that dared to masquerade as food.

"Yuk, thats nasty," moaned Naruto.

"Thats what you get for not eating breakfast," I said, going back to my training.

* * *

Three hours later I had finished training and moved onto meditating while Naruto and Sakura got more and more frustrated.

"Hello everyone," said Kakashi as he sauntered onto the training field.

"YOUR LATE!" shouted Naruto and Sakura.

"I'm sorry, a black cat crossed my path," said Kakashi as he placed an alarm clock on one of the stumps.

"Liar!" shouted Naruto, which Kakashi ignored.

"Now, I will explain the rules of the test," said the Jonin, "This alarm is set for noon, two hours from now. You have until then to take these from me."

He held up two bells.

"In order to pass, you need to have one of these before the time runs out. If you fail, you will be tied to one of those posts and go without lunch while I eat my lunch right in front of you."

He paused, clearly expecting to hear rumbling stomachs. When he didn't, he raised an eyebrow.

"Never go on a mission on an empty stomach," I said in answer to the unasked question.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything about it, instead continuing with his explanation.

"But Kakashi-sensei, there are only two bells," pointed out Sakura.

"That means that at least one of you will be tied to a stump," said Kakashi, "Oh and I forgot to mention that, should you fail to get a bell, you will be sent back to the Academy."

"WHAT?!" demanded Naruto and Sakura.

"You can use anything you have at your disposal, including Shuriken," continued Kakashi, ignoring the two idiots, "You'll want to come at me with the intent to kill if you want any chance of taking these bells."

"But Sensei, thats dangerous!" protested Sakura.

"Yeah, your so slow you couldnt even dodge a Blackboard rubber!" crowed Naruto.

"In the real world the ones with the least talent are the ones with the loudest barks," said Kakashi, "And someone with a bark as loud of yours clearly has no talent at all. Dead Last."

Naruto scowled at the insult and grabbed his Kunai as he charged Kakashi. However, before he could go more than a few steps, Kakashi vanished and grabbed Naruto by the wrist, twisting it around and pointing the blonds knife at the back of his head.

"Ahahah, I didn't say start," said Kakashi.

I narrowed my eyes. He was _fast_. Sure I was expecting it, but expecting and seeing was completely different.

"It looks like you are willing to come at me with intent to kill," said Kakashi, "I think I'm starting to like you guys. Lets begin. Go!"

I grabbed Naruto and Sakura by the back of their collors and dragged them both with me as I leaped into the trees, ignoring the yelps of protest. A short distance into the trees, I dropped into a small clearing I had scouted earlier and released my team mates.

"Hey, whats the big idea?" demanded Naruto, "I need to get one of those bells!"

"Actually, you don't," I said, "The bells are a decoy. The real test here is teamwork."

"How do you know that?" demanded Naruto.

"Because its the same test as the Fourth gave his team and was given to him by Jiraiya of the Sannin and every other incarnation of Team 7 since the Second Hokage," I replied, "I did my research. We cannot pass this test unless we work together."

"Yeah, and why should we trust you?" asked Naruto, "You could just be trying to trick us so you can take those bells for yourself!"

"Don't you talk to Sasuke like that!" shreaked Sakura, punching Naruto in the head.

I facepalmed and smacked both idiots upside the heads.

"Look you damned idiots," I snapped, "I could care less if you trust or even like me, but if you want any chance of getting those bells, we have to work together. Now do you want to pass this test or not?"

Their was silence for a moment, before both nodded their heads.

"Alright then, I have a plan."

* * *

Kakashi was stood in the exact same place he was when the test started, his nose buried in his orange book

"Hmm, they're taking their time," mused the Jonin, "I wonder if they've figured out the secret to the test?"

Just then a wall of Shuriken erupted from the tree line, coming right at him. Of course, something like that was a childs play for the Jonin to deal with and the masked man deflected them all with his Kunai. After the rain of metal stars stopped, the river erupted as a legion of Naruto clones pounced at at the Jonin.

"Take this!" yelled the clones in unison.

Kakashi didn't look worried, until another Naruto grabbed him from behind.

"What the..?" spluttered Kakashi.

"I got you!" shouted Naruto, going to punch him in the face.

As the fist impacted, there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi was replaced by one of the Naruto clones.

* * *

I smirked as Kakashi appeared in front of me and tugged on the wires wrapped around my fingers, causing the wires that were looped around the Jonin from the rain of Shuriken that had been thrown at him earlier. Kakashi suddenly found himself bound by the thin but strong Ninja wire. I put the wires between my teeth and flicked through a set of hand signs.

"Fire style, Dragon Fire Jutsu!"

I exhaled, sending a wave of fire down towards the Copycat Ninja. As expected, he performed a replacement Jutsu, only to find himself on the receiving end of a pitfall trap.

"Alright, we got him!" shouted Sakura as Naruto and I landed next to the trap.

"Nice one Sakura," said Naruto, "Now we just need to get the bells!"

At that very moment, the alarm went off and the Kakashi in the pit vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Well, that was a good effort, but it looks like you failed the test," said the real Kakashi as he dropped out of a tree.

"Actually, we didn't," I said, holding up the bells.

Kakashis single eye widened and he put his hand to his belt to find that the bells had indeed vanished.

"Ah, you snagged them when you tied me up, didn't you?" asked Kakashi.

I smirked and nodded.

"So, who passes and who goes back?" asked Kakashi.

I turned to my team mates.

"Here," I said, holding them out, "You two take them. I don't mind waiting another year to graduate."

They looked hesitant for a moment, before Naruto shook his head.

"No, it was your idea that allowed us to get them so you should take one," he said, "I've already failed twice, so once more is fine by me."

Sakura looked conflicted, before she sighed.

"No, you two should take them," she said, "Naruto, as much as I hate to admit it, you deserve to become a Ninja after all the work you put into it and Sasuke, you're way too good to go back to the Academy."

I looked at my two team mates in surprise. I truly hadn't been expecting that. Then, I smiled and clenched my fist, turning the bells into scrap.

"Well, I don't think I could find a better team," I said, before turning to Kakashi, "Either pass us all or fail us all. Despite my initial misgivings, I can't think of anyone better than these two to have at my back."

"Is that really what you want?" asked Kakashi, a serious look on what was visible of his face.

"It is," I said.

"In that case, you pass."

A beat.

"YES!" yelled Naruto.

"See, I told you," I said with a smirk, "The answer was teamwork."

"but how did you know?" asked Sakura.

"Simple, it was something Itachi-nee told me," I said, "'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' The strength of Konoha is built on the teamwork and comradery of its Shinobi."

"Excellently put Sasuke," said Kakashi with an eye smile, "Now, you three go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, Team 7 officially starts its duties!"

 **And thats the end of that. I hope you liked this chapter and the test.**

 **Now, the question is, should I have Sasuke learn to use magic? I have plans for Eragon magic which I won't reveal until we get their, but if you lot say yes, I'm going to come up with some bulshit limitations so Sasuke won't be able to just kill everyone he meets with a word.**

 **For now though, I'm going to sign out so please leave me a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **So we're back with more of my crazy story. I am so, so sorry for the long wait, but for some reason, Naruto storys always start fighting back when I get to this point and I have no idea why. Hopefully, now I've started, I can keep the ball rolling. That said, enjoy!**

Chapter 5

"Alright, can you please explain to me how Tora ended up like this?" asked the Hokage, indicating to said cat where it hung in my grip.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, its just that shes docile," said the old man, "I've never seen Tora so passive. How'd you do it?"

I grinned as my teammates let out a sigh as they nursed their Tora induced scratches. We had just returned from the Tora mission, which hadn't been nearly as bad as people made it out to be.

"Oh it was easy," I said, "I gave her catnip."

The Hokage deadpanned.

"You drugged her?" he asked.

"Yep."

The Hokage sighed and shook his head.

"You know what, never mind," said the Hokage, "Team Seven has completed the Captured Tora mission. Madam Shijima will be here soon to pick up the cat since you completed the mission so quickly. Put the cat in here."

He put a cat crate on his desk and I tossed the animal inside.

"Alright, for Team Sevens next mission, we have a few options," said the Old man, picking up the scroll marked Rank D, "We have a few babysitting jobs, gardening, helping the Old Folks home with their shopping or…"

"No way!"

The Hokage looked up at Naruto who was panting from his outburst.

"I'm sick and tired of doing all these damned chores!" shouted the orange wearing Ninja, "Come on, why can't we have a real mission?!"

I sighed and turned out Irukas explanation of the Mission Ranks in favour of focusing my mind on the first stages of learning to expand my mind. After the Bell Test, I had taken Solumbums advice and gone to see Angela about learning the Ancient Language to which she had replied that she would, but only as long as I also learnt to use Gramarye or magic at the same time. The first thing to do was master the art of Mental Magic so as to improve on memory retention and because it was a useful skill to have. The exercise was basically the same one that Eragon performs with the ants, but without the benefit of having an instinctive connection to a Dragon to open my mind. It...wasn't going well. As of right now I was limited to picking up nearby life force signatures, although I could detect Naruto anywhere in the village, but I hadn't yet managed to touch anyone's mind. Suddenly, I was yanked from my meditation by Narutos sudden shout of joy.

"Alright! So who are we escorting? A Daimyo? Or maybe a Princess?!"

"Bring him in," said the Hokage with a grin.

The door to the side opened, allowing the familiar form of Tazuna the Bridge Builder to enter the room.

"Whats this?" he slurred, "I'm expected to put my life in the hands of a bunch of kids? They don't look so tough, especially the midget with the stupid look on his face."

I rolled my eyes as the old mans words sank into Narutos head a few seconds later and he lunged at the man, only for Kakashi to hold him back.

"Now now Naruto, you can't kill the client, its doesnt work like that," said the Jonin, before looking up at Tazuna, "I know that they may not look like much, but these three are talented Ninja. They should be able to handle anything that attacks us and if they can't, I can."

"Alright fine," grumbled Tazuna, "I'm Tazuna, a Master Bridge Builder from the Land of Waves. I'll be relying on you to keep me safe until my Bridge is done, even if it costs you your life!"

I sighed. Even for someone who didn't know what was coming, that line would have set of at least a few alarms. I could see Kakashi narrow his eyes slightly at the drunks choice of words, but he said nothing.

"Alright you three, get your stuff together and meet at the Gate in an hour," he said, before Shunshining out.

* * *

An hour later, we were gathered by the gate, waiting for Kakashi and Tazuna to show which, fortunately, didn't take long and we were quickly on our way.

"WOO YEAH, LETS GO!" yelled Naruto as he ran out of the gates.

"Whats got you so worked up Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"Because I've never left the village before," said Naruto, "I can't wait!"

"I'm supposed to put my trust in this guy?" asked Tazuna.

"Don't worry, I'm a Jonin," said Kakashi with a smile.

I tuned out Narutos reaction in favor of looking around at the surrounding trees , trying to spot the Demon Brothers I knew were hiding their. As expected, I saw nothing, them being elite Ninja and all. I turned back to my team and client a moment later in time to see Kakashi holding Naruto back from attacking Tazuna again. I rolled my eyes and followed as they started on the road.

* * *

The trip would take two weeks at a Civilian's pace and was mostly uneventful, other than a few arguments after Tazuna making a few to many pointed comments about Naruto. I was also extremely aware of the two presences following us that were becoming more and more obvious to my budding sense that I trained with every night through meditation. The tension of waiting for the attack was really starting to get to me, to the point where it was actually a relief to see the puddle in the middle of the dusty path.

I glanced over at Kakashi, who caught my eye and nodded minutely as he moved to the back of the group. I readied myself, slowly gathering my Chakra in preparation for the upcoming fight. We passed the puddle, first Sakura and Tazuna, then Naruto and I, with Kakashi bringing up the rear. For a moment, it looked like we were in the clear, but then the puddle erupted as the Demon brothers leaped from the puddle and wrapped Kakashi in their spiked chain and pulled, shredding the Jonin.

"Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto.

I ignored the blonds shout in favor of charging towards the Chunin, ignoring the crys of Sakura.

"One down," growled one of the brothers as they appeared behind Naruto.

Right before my feet slammed into their faces and I nailed their chain to a tree with a Kunai and Shuriken.

"Like hell," I said as I landed on the brothers large gauntlets, "You're not going to touch my team mates!"

I panted my hands and used the gauntlets as leverage to kick both brothers in the face, hard, sending them staggering back. I landed on my hands and spun, using the momentum to kick both Demons again, knocking them off their feet. Of course, they were Chunin and quickly recovered, releasing their chain to escape the binding. Once free, they charged, one at Tazuna and Sakura and the other at Naruto.

"Oh no you don't!" I growled, darting after them, summoning my sword to my hand from the seal on my gloves.

Cold blue steel flashed and a gauntleted arms went flying in a shower of blood. The Demon brother that was charging the old man screamed and fell to his knees, clutching the stump where his arm used to be.

"Gozu!" shouted the other Nin, "Screw the Bridge Builder, you're dead!"

He broke of his attack on Naruto and charged me. Before he could take more than a few steps though, Kakashi reappeared and grabbed him by the throat.

"Excellent work kids," said the Copy Nin, "Especially you Sasuke."

He glanced over at Naruto, who was holding a bleeding hand.

"Sorry Naruto, I would have stepped in before you were hurt, but I wasn't expecting you to freeze up."

I ignored the glare Naruto was sending my way and grabbed his arm, rummaging through my pouch and pulling out a small stone.

"Here, swallow this," I said, removing one and holding it out to the blond.

"Why?" demanded Naruto.

"Because these guys have poison in their claws," I said, "This capable of curing just about every poison out there. Now swallow this or I'll force it down your throat!"

Naruto gulped, going pale, before he took the stone and swallowed it as I bound his wound.

"What was that thing?" he asked, grimacing.

"Its called a Bezoar," I said, "I won't tell you where it comes from because it might make you sick, but a friend of mine gave it to me."

"Oh, they're taken from a goats stomach, right?" said Sakura.

Naruto's face went green and he started choking as I glared at Sakura.

"Thanks Sakura," I said.

"Nice work Sasuke, although I'm not sure about your choice of antidote," said Kakashi.

"I know its unconventional, but it works," I said, "Trust me, I know."

I shivered as I remembered exactly how I'd found that out. I won't go into detail, but it involves a hungover Anko and a lot of snakes.

"Now then Tazuna, perhaps you can tell us whats really going on," said Kakashi.

"Eh?"

"These two are Ninja from the Hidden Mist," said Kakashi, "The Demon Brothers are known for being willing to do anything to get there kill."

"Not only are we miles from the Land of Water, but they were waiting for us," I said, taking over from Kakashi, "That means this wasn't a chance encounter."

"Wait, they were waiting for us?" asked Naruto.

I nodded.

"That puddle on the ground gave them away," I said, "It hasn't rained in days and the ground is bone dry. Frankly, it was a sloppy job I'd expect to see from Academy Students, not Chunin."

"Exactly, excellent work Sasuke," said Kakashi.

"If you knew that, why did you let them attack us?" asked Tazuna.

"I wanted to know who their target was," said Kakashi, "Was it a case of Ninja targeting other Ninja, or were they after something else."

"We've only just graduated and this is our first mission out of the village, so we weren't likely to be there targets," I said, "I suppose they could have been after me for my Sharingan, but that was highly unlikely. The only other person would be Kakashi-sensei, but he doesn't really have any standing with the Mist. That leaves you."

"So tell me Tazuna, why do you have Ninja after you?" asked Kakashi, "If you'd have told us that, the mission would have been at least B rank, if not higher, and more expensive on top of that. This task is far beyond what the mission parameters were originally stated to be and out of my teams league."

"We're not good enough to take on a Mission like this yet," said Sakura, sounding apologetic, "Plus, I think we should get a doctor to look at Naruto. I trust Sasuke's judgment, but it would still be a good idea."

I nodded at the pink haired girl. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have said that and just blindly agreed with my choice, but after we became a team, I sat her down and told her straight out that I wasn't interested in her like that and since then she had started taking training much more seriously.

"Hmm, this is a predicament," said Kakashi, "Should we return and ensure Naruto gets proper medical attention or…"

He was cut off by Naruto drawing a Kunei and stabbing it into the back of his hand.

"Oh for fucks sake," I groaned, facepalming, hard.

"With this knife, I promise you that we will protect you Old Man!" exclaimed Naruto with a pained grin, "I'm fit for Duty Sensei."

"Yeah, not if you don't stop the bleeding you won't be," I deadpanned, "Not only did you just pointlessly open the wound, but if you don't stop the bleeding, you're gonna die."

A moment of silence, before…

"AHHHH! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" screamed Naruto.

"SHUT UP!"

I smacked him over the head and yanked his hand out and rebound the wound.

"Your not gonna die you idiot," I said, ignoring Narutos whimpering.

Tazuna let out a huff and cleared his throat.

"While I appreciate it kid, I think I should tell you what you'll be dealing with," said the Bridge Builder, "The truth of what you'll be facing. You were right, this job is well above the parameters you were informed of. The man who wants me dead...hes rich, powerful and extremely dangerous. Have you ever heard of a man named Gato?"

"You mean the head of Gato Shipping and Transport?" asked Kakashi, sounding surprised, "Hes one of the richest men in the world!"

"Thats just how it appears on the surface," said Tazuna, "The truth is, hes a ruthless gangster, using violence, bribes and threats to get what he wants with the help of the numerous gangs and even Ninja under his command. He has is fingers in just about every illegal business out there, from drug trafficking to slave trade. A little over a year ago, this man set his eyes on the Wave and started taking over. He came under the guise of wanting to set up a branch of his business, but before we knew what was happening, he had control over all of our shipping industry."

"And in a land like Wave, if you control the sea, you control the entire country," I said.

"Exactly," said Tazuna, "My Bridge is the only thing that stands in Gatos way of total control of Wave. If we can finish it, we'll have a new way of trading with the Mainland and Gatos grip will be broken."

"So thats why he wants you dead," said Sakura.

"But if you knew such a dangerous man was after you, why didn't you say so in your request?" asked Kakashi.

"I think I know," I said, "I doubt the Wave is a rich nation at the best of times and Gatos stranglehold certainly won't help that. I bet that scraping together enough to pay us has drained what little money they had left, on top of everything they need for the Bridge. Am I right?"

Tazuna looked down and nodded.

"Thats right," he said, "If you all leave me now, I'm as good as dead."

I ignored the following guilt trip in favor of resealing my sword and grabbing my bag from where I had dropped it at the start of the fight.

"Well, I guess when you put it like that we'll have to protect you until we get to Wave," said Kakashi, looking somewhere between exasperated and impressed at the old mans manipulation, "Come on Kids, lets go."

We continued on our way and I turned my mind to trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do about the upcoming fight with Zabuza and Haku.

 **And thats it. Hope you liked it!**

 **The thing with the Bezore was taken from Harry Potter. Nothing else to say to that.**

 **Basic first aid should really be something every Ninja learns and Sasuke is friends with Angela. He'd likely have a few homegrown remedies stashed away for just such an occasion.**

 **Now I just need to figure out how the flying fuck I'm going to do the fight with Zabuza...Eh, should be interesting at least.**

 **With that, I'm signing off. Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we are back, hopefully not months after the last chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

"Hurph, I hate sailing," I groaned as I leaned over the side of the boat.

"Are you OK Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

I gave her a weak thumbs up.

"AHAHAHA, who knew that all it took to bring down the Great Sasuke was a short boat trip!" crowed Naruto, heedless of the glare I was sending his way.

Then again, the fact I was currently an unhealthy shade of green and had to keep heaving over the edge of the boat as my stomach rebelled probably took the edge off somewhat.

"Shhh, keep it down!" hissed the ferryman, "We need to keep quiet so Gatos goons won't find us! Why do you think I turned the engine off?"

"Sorry," said Naruto.

Shortly after, we landed and started making our way through the forests towards Tazuna's house. Fortunately, I recovered from my bout of seasickness fairly quickly, but I was now nursing a headache from Narutos seemingly endless energy. While we were getting along far better than we had been and actually worked together quite well, that didn't change the fact that I found Naruto to be incredibly annoying.

"OVER THERE!" shouted Naruto suddenly, tossing a Shuriken into the bushes.

We all tensed instinctively as we waited for something to happen, but as expected, nothing did.

"NARUTO, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, SCARING US LIKE THAT!" roared Sakura.

I sighed and gently bopped my pink haired teammate on the head.

"Considering the situation, I'd rather it be a false alarm than having someone sneak up on us," I said.

Sakura blinked at me, before jumping as Naruto tossed another Shuriken into another bush.

"I TOLD YOU TO QUIT IT IDIOT!" shouted Sakura, slamming her fist into Narutos head.

"B-but someone was there!" protested Naruto.

"LIER!"

"Em, Sakura," I said, pointing at the shivering rabbit.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID NARUTO!" shouted Sakura, "YOU SCARED THAT POOR RABBIT TO DEATH!"

I groaned and facepalmed. I knew these two were still a little dense when it came to the Ninja world, but I'd hoped that they'd be observant enough to notice that rabbits shouldn't be white in the summer.

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" shouted Kakashi as he dropped to the ground.

I dove forwards and tackled Tazuna off his feet as the Kubikiribocho came spinning over our heads to embed itself in a nearby tree, followed shortly after by Zabuza landing on the handle. As soon as the Demon of the Mist appeared, I knew that there was no chance in hell that I'd be able to do anything against him, even with my Sharingan active and all my future knowledge. I knew he'd be strong of course, but I could already feel the bloodlust leaking off him. I may be better than the original Sasuke, but I still wasn't on the level of a Jonin like Zabuza, not even close.

"Hold it," I said, catching Naruto by the back of the jacket before he could do something dumb.

"Sasuke, why are you stopping me?" demanded the blond.

"Thats Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist," I said, "He's a Jounin on Kakashi's level. We don't stand a chance."

"Hmm, sounds like you've got some smart kids there Kakashi," said Zabuza.

"Yep, thats my student," said Kakashi, reaching up for his forehead protector, "Kids, stay well back and keep Tazuna safe with the Manji formation. Sasuke's right, you don't stand a chance against this opponent. Hell, even I'm going to need a bit of an edge."

He lifted his headband and revealed his Sharingan.

"So that's the Legendary Sharingan huh?" said Zabuza, "I'm honoured."

"Whats the Sharingan?" asked Naruto.

"Its the Kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan," I said, "Normally, it only manifests in members of my clan and even then in certain situations."

"Do you have it Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

I just turned to her and flashed my Sharingan.

"I do, but I prefer not to use it unless its against my enemies. The Sharingan allows one to copy any technique they see by analyzing the Handsigns and Chakra flow required to cast the technique. I'm not into stealing my allies Jutsu and I much prefer working for my power."

"When you're quite done with the lesson, I'd like to get this over quickly," said Zabuza, "I'm on a tight schedule and I'd like to finish off the old man quickly."

He fixed Tazuna with a murderous glare that made him take a step back. Quick as a flash, Naruto, Sakura and I took up positions around him, ready to protect him if necessary.

"Heh, looks like I'm gonna have to kill you first Kakashi," said Zabuza as our Sensei met his glare.

He vanished from his spot in the tree and reappeared on the pond, preparing to cast the Hidden Mist Jutsu. I briefly entertained the idea of doing something to stop him, but the only way I could do that is with my Mangekyo and I wasn't about to use that unless absolutely necessary. Not only would revealing it put me in even more danger than I already was, but I didn't want to have to deal with the side effects.

"Guys, get ready," I said, summoning my sword as the mist thickened, "Zabuza is from the Mist, fighting in this environment is his specialty."

"Ohohoho, you are a smart one boy," said Zabuza, his voice echoing around us, "Now, there are eight points. Throat, Spine, Lungs, Liver, Jugular, Subclavian Artery, Kidneys and Heart. Any one of these is a one hit kill. So many choices, where should I hit?"

I stiffened as I felt Zabuza's KI wash over me. I could certainly see why Sasuke was affected as he was in the original timeline, but after being around a hungover Anko, I could manage it. Sakura on the other hand… I could feel her shaking beside me and I glanced at her, intending to comfort her, but paused when I saw the look on her face. It wasn't fear as I was expecting. No, it was a kind of feral eagerness I'd expect to see more on an Inuzuka than my team mate.

"Sakura…" I started, but before I could voice my question, Kakashi's voice cut through the mist.

"Don't worry, I won't allow any of my comrades to fall," he said with an eye smile.

His words seemed to snap Sakura out of whatever trance she was in.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Zabuza as he appeared in the middle of our formation, his massive blade already in motion.

"Don't underestimate us!" I shouted as my own sword snapped up to block the strike.

As expected, the impact was huge, sending my flying, but I had deflected the strike enough so even if Kakashi had been too slow, Zabuza would still have missed Tazuna. Fortunately, that wasn't a problem as Kakashi was just as fast as I was expecting and stabbed the Clone.

"Sensei!" I shouted, pointing at the clone that had just appeared behind our teacher.

"Gotcha," growled Zabuza, slicing Kakashi in half.

As I expected, Kakashi evaporated into water and the original reappeared behind the Assassin.

"Its over," said our teacher, placing a kunai at Zabuza's neck.

"Heh, you're right," said Zabuza, before he evaporated and the original appeared behind Kakashi.

"Oh crap!" gasped Kakashi, ducking under Zabuza's sword strike.

The former Mist Shinobi allowed the weight of his sword to pull him around and embed itself in the ground, allowing him to use it as a pivot to kick Kakashi across the clearing and into a nearby pond.

"Damn it!" I snarled, scrambling to my feet and diving for my sword.

Before I could grab it though, another Zabuza clone appeared next to me and kicked me across the clearing before desolving. I slammed into a tree with a nasty crack and gasped as I felt my ribs crack. I groaned in pain as I pushed myself to my hands and knees, glaring at Zabuza where he stood on the water with Kakashi in his Water Prison.

"Hehe, you're not bad kid," said the Nuke-nin, "And thats a pretty interesting sword you got there. To bad you won't have chance to nurture that talent."

He made a handsign and another clone appeared.

"This Water Clone will be enough to beat you," he said, "You kids think that headband makes you an Ninja? Please, a real Ninja is someone who has survived multiple brushes with death! Until you become good enough to be listed in my Bingo Book, you have no business calling yourself Ninja!"

The Clone vanished.

"NARUTO, WATCH OUT!" I shouted, my now active Sharingan allowing me to see the Clones movements.

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't able to react quick enough and was kicked across the field, losing his headband from the impact.

"Damn it," I growled as my ribs twinged, "I can't fight like this!"

"Get out of here!" shouted Kakashi, "You can't beat him! Take Tazuna and get out of here!"

"That won't work!" I said, "Even if we can escape, we won't get far."

I took a deep breath and focused my Chakra inwards on my damaged Ribs. Fortunately, it seemed that the damage was fairly minor, so I was able to fix some of the damage with one of the few Medical Ninjutsu Anko had taught me, enough to be able to fight at least.

"NARUTO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" shouted Sakura, breaking my concentration, just in time to see Naruto charge Zabuza's clone head on.

As expected, he got booted back to where Sakura was stood without even getting in a single hit.

"What were you thinking, idiot," snarled Sakura, before she blinked as she noticed the headband now in Naruto's hand.

"Heh, idiot," I said as I rejoined my team, "You didn't have to do that you know. We could have worked together and saved you the bloody nose."

"Heh, guess you're right," said Naruto, "But I needed to reclaim this myself."

"Fine, whatever, now lets save Kakashi and get out of here," I said.

"No, don't, you can't fight him!" shouted Kakashi, "Get out of here now, thats an order!"

"Sorry Sensei, but we're not leaving you," I said, "You taught us that, remember?"

"Urg…"

"Heh, well, I guess this is my fault," said Tazuna, "Go ahead kids, go save your Sensei."

"Thats the plan," I said, "We won't be able to escape without him anyway."

"Hehehe, you kids and your games," sneered Zabuza, "You really think you stand a chance against me with your unblooded hands? When I was your age, these hands had already been coated in the lifeblood of another Human."

"The Demon of the Mist," said Kakashi.

"So, you heard of our little graduation exam?" asked Zabuza, his smile visible under his bandages.

"Whats so special about that?" asked Sakura, "We had a Graduation exam as well."

"Yeah, but it wasn't anything like the one from the 'Bloody Mist'," I said.

"So, you know about it as well, eh kid?" asked Zabuza.

I nodded.

"A fight to the death between the students," I said.

"Hhehehehe, exactly," said Zabuza, "After spending five years training, eating and living together, we were told to either kill each other or die."

"Thats how it was," said Kakashi, "Until ten years ago when a boy who hadn't even entered the Academy showed up and slaughtered the entire graduating class."

"Ah yes, I remember that," said Zabuza, "I've never felt so...ALIVE!"

The Clone vanished and I reacted, shoving Naruto and Sakura out of the way as it appeared behind us and moved to cleave us in half. I ducked under the blade, feeling it slice off a few hairs it passed so close.

"So, you have the Sharingan as well," said Zabuza, "Impressive for one so young. Unfortunately, if you can't keep up…"

His foot slammed into my chest...only for my body to dissolve.

"What the hell…!"

"GOTCHA!"

The Clone's attention snapped to the large number of Shadow Clones that Naruto had just created and sent at him, dogpiling him. It didn't work of course and the only thing it resulted in is him being sent flying.

"Sasuke, catch!" shouted Naruto, tossing me a folded Demon Wind Shuriken as I dropped out of the tree I'd replaced myself to after copying the Water Clone.

"Got it," I said, unfolding the Shuriken, "Take this!"

I reeled back my arm and threw the weapon, sending it spinning across the field towards Zabuza.

"A Shuriken won't work on me!" sneered Zabuza at the incoming weapon.

The Clone tensed, but the Shuriken arched around him, flying towards the original.

"So, you're aiming for the original," muttered Zabuza, "Not bad…"

His hand snapped out and caught the weapon.

"But not good enough!"

I smirked as the second Shuriken appeared in the shadow of the first. As expected, Zabuza jumped over the second Shuriken, only for it to turn into Naruto, who tossed the Kunai in his hand at Zabuza, forcing him to move or be impaled through the chest.

"Damn brat!" snarled Zabuza, spinning around to hit Naruto with the Shuriken in his hand.

"Sensei, hit the deck!" I shouted, placing my hands in a Ram seal, "Katsu!"

Zabuza's eyes widened as the explosive tags on the Fuma Shuriken exploded.

"GAH!" yelled Zabuza as the explosion blew him across the pond.

"Nice work Sasuke, Naruto," said Kakashi as he pulled himself out of the water, "Although you did cut that attack a little too close for comfort."

"Well, I had to be sure you'd be freed," I said with a grin.

"You damn brat," growled Zabuza as he shot out of the water, heading towards me with his sword at the ready.

The explosion hadn't done that much damage, only scorching his arm warmers since the Tags I'd placed on the Shuriken hadn't been that powerful so I didn't accidentally kill Kakashi. I moved to dodge the attack, but before Zabuza could get close to me, Kakashi appeared and blocked him.

"Your fight is with me," said Kakashi.

 **And thats the end of that. Man, I knew getting that last chapter out would likely help with the block for this story, but I didn't think it'd be this effective! I'm probably going to skip straight to the aftermath since Kakashi vs Zabuza will be pretty much identical to the Anime and Manga, only without the addition of the Fuma Shuriken Zabuza briefly uses since its now scrap.**

 **Sasuke was able to copy the Water Clone when Zabuza created it to attack the Team. He may not like using it as a shortcut, but that doesn't mean he's not above using it against his enemies.**

 **Whats up with Sakura? Any ideas based on what we've seen so far, perhaps from Angela's prophecy? I'll be genuinely surprised if anyone gets it.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we are back. Nothing really to say, so we're diving in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

I sighed as I relaxed, letting myself fall on my behind as Zabuza and Kakashi started their fight.

"Are you OK Sasuke?" asked Sakura, kneeling down next to me.

"Yeah, but I'm going to be sore tomorrow," I said I kept my gaze on the battle with my Sharingan, "I think my ribs are cracked. Still, at least I'm getting something out of this."

"I thought you said you don't like using those eyes of yours," said Tazuna.

"I don't, but thats a courtesy I extend to my alleys only. When it comes to enemies, I don't have any problems in taking their techniques. Still, I don't think I'll be able to use any of these without some training. They're too Chakra intensive. Oh, by the way, we should brace ourselves."

"Why?" asked Tazuna.

Instead of answering, I pointed towards the battle as Kakashi finished the signs for Water Vortex.

"HOLY SH…!" started Tazuna, before the massive wave of water broke and blasted Zabuza across the clearing to slam into a tree.

I applied some Chakra to my legs to keep me anchored as the water from the breaking wave washed over us. I stretched out my senses, picking up the aura of Haku in the trees. I wasn't actually sure what I was going to do when Haku showed up. I could call him out on his fib, but that would result in a battle that, in our current condition, we wouldn't stand a chance at winning. The best option for now was to just let things play out and deal with Haku on the Bridge when we're at full strength. I shifted my gaze as Haku's signature appeared in the tree and sent his Needles through Zabuza's neck.

"Heh, your prediction came true," said Haku, drawing the others attention.

I shifted my gaze to Zabuza and narrowed my eyes. I could sense a small spark of life still glowing in Zabuza, but it was muted, so much so that if I wasn't looking for it, I'd probably miss it.

"WHATS GOING ON HERE?!"

I sighed as Naruto finally exploded.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

"Relax Naruto, he's not our enemy," said Kakashi.

"THATS NOT WHAT I ASKED!" yelled Naruto, "HE KILLED ZABUZA BUT HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S MY AGE!"

"Age is meaningless in the Shinobi world," I said.

"Huh?"

"My Brother became an Anbu when he was eleven," I said, "Chances are, this won't be the last time that we meet someone our age whos stronger than Kakashi-sensei."

"R-really?" asked Sakura.

"Sasukes right," said Kakashi, "Thats just the way things are."

Haku vanished from his perch and reappeared next to Zabuza's body, hefting it over his shoulder.

"Well, now that the battle is over, I really should be going," he said, making a half ram sign and vanishing.

Kakashi sighed and tugged his headband back down over his Sharingan.

"Now thats over, we should get going," said Kakashi.

"Well, that was interesting," said Tazuna, "But don't worry, you guys can use my house to rest up!"

"We're gonna need it," I said, getting to my feet, "Kakashi-senseis about to collapse."

Sure enough, the scarecrow did just that.

"See?"

"KAKASHI-SENSEi!" shouted Naruto, running to Kakashis side.

"Don't worry Naruto, he'll be fine," I said, "Its Chakra Exhaustion. He'll be fine with some rest. Now help me pick him up."

"Why me?" growled Naruto, glaring at me.

"I'd do it myself, but my ribs are cracked and some of us don't have healing factors," I replied.

"Fine…"

Naruto helped me lift our paralyzed teacher and we followed Tazuna to his home.

* * *

Kakashi-sensei was unconscious for a few hours after we arrived, during which time I was able to finish fixing my ribs, although they were still really sore.

"So, how are you feeling Sensei?" I asked as Kakashi slowly sat up.

"Yeah, I will be," he said, "In about a week."

"That Sharingan sure does put a lot of strain on your body," said Sakura, looking at me worriedly.

"Don't worry about me Sakura, the reason it affects Kakashi like it does is because he's not an Uchiha," I said, "The eye was transplanted into him, rather than being natural, right Sensei?"

"Thats right," said Kakashi, "However, we need to discuss Zabuza."

"Why? Hes dead isn't he?" asked Tazuna.

"Nope," I said, "He's still very much alive."

There was a moment's silence, before…

"WHAT?!"

"W-what do you mean hes still alive?" demanded Sakura, "Kakashi-sensei checked his body!"

"And he had no pulse," said Kakashi, "However, its possible for a well trained Shinobi to put another in a Near Death state."

"And the easiest way to do that is through Senbon applied to pressure points in the neck," I said, "That 'Hunter Nin' was probably an accomplice who was meant to help Zabuza get out if things got to hairy. Another nail in the coffin is the fact that he didn't destroy Zabuza's corpse on the spot. He may have wanted to spare us kids the sight of it, but I highly doubt that."

"Exactly," said Kakashi, "Fortunately, it will take a week for Zabuza to recover, leaving us plenty of time for me to recover as well and for you kids to get some training in."

"How can you train us when you can't move?" asked Sakura, "More to the point, how can a little training help us against a foe like Zabuza? We don't stand a chance!"

"Sakura, how was it that I was able to escape Zabuza's trap?" asked Kakashi, "You helped me. The three of you are advancing at incredible speed, you especially Naruto."

The blond blinked in surprise, before a slow smile spread across his lips.

"Of course, we can always improve with training," said Kakashi with an eye smile.

"HELL YEAH, THIS IS GONNA BE FUN!" yelled Naruto.

"Oh brother," I mumbled, rubbing my head.

"It won't be fun for you," said a voice from the door.

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?" demanded Naruto.

"WILL YOU PLEASE STOP SHOUTING!" I roared, slamming my fist into Narutos head, having finally having enough of Naruto's loudness.

Normally I would put up with him, but everything that had happened today had left me with a pounding head and shortened temper.

"Oww, what was that for Sasuke?" wined Naruto.

"You're too noisy," I growled, "Pipe down will you?"

"Whats got your knickers in a twist?" grumbled Naruto.

I glared at him, before letting out a huff and deciding it wasn't worth getting worked up over.

"But Mama, they're all gonna die," said Inari, "No one can beat Gato and his men."

Apparently me getting annoyed had distracted me from Tazuna greeting his grandson.

I snorted.

"Kid, have you ever seen what a Ninja can do?" I asked.

"No, but what does it matter?" asked Inari, "Gato's men outnumber you."

I smirked.

"Like that matters. Most of Gato's men are just thugs with a bit of training. They're no match for a trained Ninja, especially not one on Kakashi-sensei's level."

"Yeah, Sasuke's right!" said Naruto, "You don't need to worry about us kid, I'm the hero who'll be Hokage someday!"

Inari scoffed.

"You don't know what you talking about," sneered Inari, "Theres no such thing as heros."

He turned away and started heading towards the door.

"If you don't want to die, you should go home now."

"Inari, that was rude!" said Tsunami, "Where are you going?"

"To watch the ocean, I want to be alone," snapped the emo kid, slamming the door.

"Emo brat," I said as Naruto stormed after the kid.

"Please forgive him," said Tazuna.

"Eh, its no problem," I said, "We'll just have to prove him wrong about Heros."

I stood.

"So, what's this training?"

Kakashi smiled.

* * *

A few minutes later, we found ourselves outside in a clearing with Kakashi.

"Alright, lets get started," said Kakashi, "Lets start with a quick lesson in Chakra."

"Er, Chakra, whats that again?" asked Naruto.

I groaned.

"Naruto, Chakra is the energy that lies at the basics of all Ninja techniques," I said.

"Sakura, please explain," said Kakashi.

"Got it," said Sakura, pulling out a scroll.

My pink haired teammate gave a quick explanation on Chakra that even Naruto could understand.

"I don't get it."

Or not.

"I don't do well with long explanations, just show me and I can learn it," he said, "Besides, can't we already use Chakra."

"Not exactly," I said, "While we can use Chakra, we are far from mastering it. In order to do that, we need to learn how to instinctively draw out the perfect amount of Chakra to keep from wasting it, or having the Jutsu fizzle on us."

"Exactly right Sasuke," said Kakashi, "I take it that Anko taught you all this?"

"Yep, she also taught me the basic Chakra Control Exercise. I had them mastered before I graduated from the Academy."

"Oh my, thats impressive," said Kakashi, looking surprised, "So, if you've mastered them, care to give us a demonstration?"

I nodded and walked towards a nearby tree, stepping onto the trunk and walking vertically up it without slowing.

"The trick is to keep the flow constant," I said as I stepped onto a branch and hung there upside down, "If you put too much in, you'll be blasted off and to little and you'll fall."

"What he said," said Kakashi, pulling out two Kunai and tossing them to Naruto and Sakura, "Use these to mark the trees as you go."

"ALRIGHT, IF SASUKE CAN DO THIS, I'LL HAVE IT MASTERED BY LUNCHTIME!" shouted Naruto, sprinting at the tree.

He got a few inches up the tree, before he slipped and fell on his head with a crash.

"Did I mention that I've been practicing this since I was five?" I said smugly, "Its a lot harder than it looks."

"Really? This is easy!" said Sakura.

I looked up and saw that our female teammate sat on a branch at the same level as me.

"So, it looks like Naruto is the only one who has to learn this," said Kakashi, "You'd better hurry if you want to surpass Lord Hokage. As of right now, Sasuke is the closest to doing so."

Naruto gritted his teeth and glared at the tree, before he calmed himself and focused.

"I won't fail," he said.

I hid a smirk as my friend charged at the tree. I couldn't wait for Naruto to get stronger so I could legitimately call him my rival.

"Hey Sasuke, since you already know this, you can head off to watch the Bridge Builder," said Kakashi.

"Yes Sensei," I said, hopping down from my tree.

* * *

"Hey kid, what are you doing?"

I opened my eyes and saw Tazuna stood close by.

"I'm meditating," I said.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch?" asked the Bridge Builder.

"Don't worry, I can sense anyone who comes close," I said, "I haven't fully mastered the technique yet, but while I'm meditating, I can sense any living thing within the area."

"I see…" said Tazuna, "So where are your teammates?"

"Training. I've already mastered what Kakashi's teaching them, so I'm doing my own training here."

"Whatever you say," said Tazuna, "I don't get you Ninja with your weird powers."

I just smirked and closed my eyes again. I tuned out the conversation between Tazuna and his worker, focusing back on my expanding mental senses. Recently, I'd been feeling like I was on the verge of unlocking something, although I had no idea what that could be. My range and ease of sensing had been increasing gradually and, while meditating, I occasionally caught glimpses of people's thoughts. My current range extended about ten meters in a perfect circle while I was in a meditative state and about half that normally, unless I deliberately extended my senses in a given direction. Still, I needed one more push to unlock whatever was just below the surface, although I had no idea what that push could be.

I sighed and dropped my hands to my lap and fell back to stare up at the sky. I'd done all I could today. All I could do was keep watch and keep trying. Hopefully that would be enough for the future.

 **And thats the end of that. As I mentioned, Kakashi and Zabuza's fight is the same as Canon and I think that Sasuke's reasoning for not calling Haku out was pretty reasonable. In their condition, he'd have torn them apart, simple as.**

 **For once I don't have any notes for this chapter. Next time I'll probably skip to the Battle on the Bridge, but knowing me, it'll probably take another Chapter. Anyway, please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And I have nothing to say other than enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Six days later and Naruto was still at it, training until he dropped. Sakura had already finished mastering the Tree Walking Exercise and Kakashi had taken her aside to teach her some techniques to augment her abilities, working on her Taijutsu and teaching her some Genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu, although he didn't know much about the latter. It wouldn't make up for all the years of Fangirlism, but it was a start and she was already improving in leaps and bounds.

I yawned as I entered the kitchen for breakfast, followed by Sakura.

"Morning all," I said, "Is Naruto back yet?"

"No, hes been out all night again," said Tazuna.

"Heh, well we certainly can't fault his spirit," I said.

"I hope hes alright," said Tsunami, "A kid like him shouldn't be outside all night."

"I wouldn't worry about him," said Kakashi, "He may be a goofy kid, but he's still a Ninja. He can look after himself."

"I'll go see if I can find him," I said, getting to my feet.

I headed out towards the clearing where I could sense Narutos massive life force thrumming. Even before I improved my sensing capabilities, I'd never had any trouble finding Naruto, not when he shone like a beacon in the night. I headed into the woods, passing by Haku as I approached where Naruto was sat.

"Who was that?" I asked as I approached my teammate.

"I'm...not sure," said Naruto.

"Fair enough," I said, as I sat down next to my friend, "So, hows your training going?"

"I've nearly made it," said Naruto, "I just need a bit more time."

"OK, I'll be over here if you need anything," I said as I moved over to the side of the clearing and drew my sword.

"Don't you need to protect Tazuna?" asked Naruto.

"Naw, Sakura's doing it today," I said, "You know, we'll probably only have today for training. Zabuza will have likely recovered by tomorrow.

"I know," said Naruto, "Thats why...I have to make it!"

He ran at the tree and sprinted up the trunk as I started my Katas. I'd been neglecting my training with my sword lately in favor of my mental training and I was getting rusty. I'd probably need it in the upcoming battle.

* * *

We trained for the entire day, during which time Naruto made it to the top of the tree, scared the living crap out of Sakura and Kakashi with a prank and I had to save him from braining himself.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you Naruto?" I said, exasperation in my voice.

"If I'm still sane by the time we're done, it'll be a miracle," said Kakashi.

* * *

The next day, I had to go out and collect Naruto again and drag him back for dinner.

"Ah, there you are," said Kakashi.

"You look like something the cat dragged in," said Tazuna, "What happened to you?"

"Heh, I made it all the way to the top," said Naruto.

"Just in time," said Kakashi, "Tomorrow, you'll join us on protecting Tazuna."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Naruto, throwing up his arms and nearly knocking me on my behind.

"Stop squirming Naruto!" I said as I regained my balance.

"Sorry."

We sat down for dinner, with Naruto getting though his at a rapid pace, replenishing his energy used for his training.

"The Bridge is nearly complete," said Tazuna, putting down his bottle of Saki, "In just a few more days, it'll be done and we'll be free. And we owe it all to you, thank you."

"Of course, that does mean that we'll probably have to deal with an attack soon," I said, "But we're ready for them."

SLAM!

"WHY ARE YOU TRYING SO HARD?" shouted Inari, "Don't you get it? You don't stand a chance against Gato's men! No matter what cool claims you make, you'll just end up dead!"

"Whatever, I'm not like you kid," said Naruto.

"SHUT UP! I'd hate to be like you! You came here, sticking your nose into our country's business! You don't know what its like to suffer!"

Naruto stiffened and tightened my grip on my teacup.

"Kid, you have no idea what you're talking about, brat," growled Naruto, "You think you've got it tough? Please, at least you've got a roof over your head, food on the table and your Mother and Grandpa to take care of you. There are kids who don't even have that! You're just a cowardly crybaby!"

"Naruto, thats to far," said Kakashi.

Naruto let out a huff and marched out of the room. I stood and moved to leave.

"Sasuke, are you OK?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Its just a scratch."

I held up my hand which was crisscrossed with red lines.

"Where did that come…" started Tazuna, before he glanced at my cup and saw that I'd crushed it in my grip.

I ignored the shocked looks the Civilians gave me as I headed upstairs. I needed to clear my head. I entered the room Naruto, Kakashi and I had been sharing and sat down, closing my eyes as I slipped into meditation.

* * *

"Sasuke?" said a voice a short while later.

"What is it Sakura?" I asked without opening my eyes.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Its just...to hear him whining about his lot in life while there are kids starving in the streets less than half an hour's walk from here makes me angry."

"I know, but he's just a kid," said Sakura.

"Thats why I took my anger out on my cup," I said.

I opened one eye and looked at my pink haired teammate.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"Tomorrow we'll likely have to fight Zabuza and his partner. Its going to be the hardest fight we've ever had. You've come a long way from the weak Fangirl you were, but you're still the weakest on the team. You must be nervus, right?"

Sakura winced slightly at my rather blunt, if accurate, assessment of her strength, but looked thoughtful.

"Actually, I'm not," she said, looking down at her hands, "I'm not sure why, but I feel...eager? I feel like I want to fight a strong opponent and prove my strength."

She clenched her fist and gave a grin that showed far more teeth than should have been possible and her eyes gained a dark gleam.

"I want to get stronger," she said, "I HAVE to get stronger. I need to fly higher than anyone else and crush anyone who challenges me!"

I narrowed my eyes. This wasn't the Sakura I knew from the Academy nor from Canon. Whats more, I could feel something off about her Life Force. It didn't feel quite Human. Not like Naruto's signature which was tainted by the Kyuubis Chakra nor anything else I'd ever felt. It felt old and powerful and was becoming more obvious every day.

"You'll see Sasuke, one day, I'll be as strong as you!" she exclaimed with a grin I'd expect to see from Naruto.

Actually no, not Naruto. It looked more like a grin from someone like Natsu Dragneel.

" _Whats going on?"_ I thought, _"That smile...There's something off about it…"_

"I look forwards to that," I said, "Because I'm not going to stop advancing and neither will Naruto. If you want to catch up, you've got a long way to go."

Sakura's smile didn't waver, in fact, she looked positively giddy at the idea. Yes, something very odd was going on with her, not that that was necessarily a bad thing.

* * *

The next day, Sakura, Kakashi, Tazuna and I headed out towards the bridge, leaving Naruto to recover. Despite the fact I knew that Gatos thugs would be going after Tsunami and Inari, I trusted Naruto to do his thing. Still, I decided to leave a couple of Water Clones behind. They may only have a tenth of my total strength, but they weren't that Chakra intensive compared with other Solid Clone types and it should be enough to deal with a couple of barely trained thugs if Naruto messed up.

It didn't take long to reach the Bridge where we found the workers laid out unconscious.

"What the hell happened here?" gasped Tazuna.

"Well, it looks like Zabuza's back," I said as the mist started to roll in.

We quickly took up positions around Tazuna, weapons held at the ready.

"This is the Hidden Mist Jutsu," said Sakura.

"Hehehe, its been a while Kakashi," said Zabuza's voice, "I see you're still lugging around those brats. Looks like that one's still shaking."

I glanced at Sakura and saw he was right. However, I noticed that she was grinning that same feral grin as last night. I smirked as Zabuza's clones emerged from the mist.

"Actually, I'm shaking with excitement," said Sakura.

"Go right ahead kids," said Kakashi.

My smirk widened as I shifted my grip on my sword and took off at the same time as Sakura, before returning to our previous place as the clones were destroyed.

"Not bad, you kids have improved," said Zabuza, "My Water Clones are no match for you. And you boy, seems like you may be a worthy rival for Haku's speed."

"Oh? In that case, I guess I'll be your opponent," I said, resealing my sword.

"Won't you need that?" asked Sakura.

"Nah, I'm good," I said, "I can use it alright, but against a strong foe, I'd prefer to stick with Taijutsu."

"You may regret that," said Haku, "If you hold back, I'll have to kill you."

"I'll manage," I said.

Hau, get him," said Zabuza.

"Yes sir," said Haku, before he started spinning rapidly.

I met his incoming attack, unsheathing the scallops from my bracers to block his Senbon.

"What?"

"Heh."

I punched at Haku, activating the hidden blade in my other bracer. She ducked under my attack and jumped back, readying herself as I slipped into a Tiger stance.

"Thats an interesting stance," said Haku.

I just smirked and leaped forwards, aiming both hidden blades at Haku, who ducked under my strike and retaliated with a kick aimed at my gut. My hands hit the floor and I flipped up onto them, avoiding the hit, before spinning and aiming my foot at the back of Haku's head. I hit, but his body simply splashed all over me.

"Crap, Water Clone!" I muttered, looking around wildly for my foe.

"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"

My head snapped around, just in time to see a wave of liquid needles flying at me. I narrowed my eyes and flipped through some hand signs of my own.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

I exhaled, unleashing a huge ball of fire that turned the needles to steam and would have blown Haku to bits had hit hit him, but he jumped out of the way in time. He landed back near Zabuza, who looked annoyed.

"Impressive, very impressive," said Zabuza, "Not many Genin can use Elemental Techniques with such ease and power."

"Thats what you get for underestimating them," said Kakashi, "He may not look it, but Sasuke is one of the strongest of the current crop of Genin, Sakura is the smartest in her year and is advancing at incredible speed and last but not least, our very own hyperactive, knuckleheaded Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. They are the team with the most potential out of all the Genin teams in the Leaf."

"Is that so?" sneered Zabuza, "In that case, Haku, you need to stop holding back."

"Understood," said Haku, getting to his feet, "I'm sorry about this, but I have no choice."

He placed his hands in a sign and the temperature immediately dropped.

"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

"Crap," I muttered, "Weight release!"

Thin bands that were around my wrists and ankles unlatched and fell to the ground and clattered onto the concrete. Unlike Lee and his insane training, my weights were nowhere near as heavy as his, despite having worn them for longer. The reason being is that I didn't need to focus on Taijutsu as much, so I didn't need as much speed or strength. Still, each one weighed as much as me, so I was pretty weighed down by them and my speed was at least the same as Lee with his weights on from the few training sessions I'd managed to spy on before Neji sniffed me out.

Despite that, I was no match for Haku's speed within the Ice Mirrors, hell, I think even Lee would be hard pressed to keep up. It was all I could do with my Sharingan active to avoid the needles. I even got my sword out again to deflect the attacks I couldn't dodge.

" _This is bad,"_ I thought as I deflected another wave of needles, _"Should I use it? No, I can't afford to take that risk. If I try, I might lose control and hit my allies. I suppose I could use Susanoo to protect myself, but I'm not sure I can hold it up under this barrage."_

I winced as I missed a needle and it stabbed through my shoulder.

" _Damn, he's getting closer. I can't keep up with his movements completely and at this rate hes gonna get me! Come on Naruto, hurry up!"_

"OUCH!"

My right arm went numb as another needle passed through my guard and penetrated the muscle, causing my sword to fall to the ground with a clatter.

"Aw cra...GAHH!"

Without my sword, I was an easy target and Haku wasn't about to give me chance to pick my weapon back up if the rain of needles now coming from all directions was anything to go by.

"Sasuke, catch!" shouted Sakura, throwing her Kunai at me.

Unfortunately, Haku was way too quick and easily caught the knife before it could get close enough for me to catch it.

"Nice try," he said, before something shot out of the sky and slammed into his mask, knocking him out of his mirror.

I took advantage of the destruction of Naruto's arrival to pull the needle out of my muscle and channeled Chakra into my muscle to start the recovery progress.

" _Damn, I have no idea what he did, but whatever it was has done a real number on my arm,"_ I thought as I realized that my attempts were pointless, _"Man, this sucks, I won't be able to use my sword at all. Aw well, guess my Kunai will have to do. Now, I wonder if this Naruto is smart enough to…"_

"Hey Sasuke, I snuck in here to save you!"

" _Apparently not."_

I sighed and bonked Naruto on the head.

"Naruto, you really should have stayed outside," I said, "Now all you've done is got us both trapped."

"WHAT?" shreaked Naruto, "Aw man, I'm such an idiot!"

"Agreed," I said, pushing myself to my feet and drawing my Kunai, "Get ready, hes coming."

"I can no longer afford to hold back," said Haku, "I must win this fight, for Zabuza's dream to become reality. I will kill my heart and kill you both!"

He emerged from the mirror and Naruto and I suddenly found ourselves in a rainstorm of needles we didn't stand a chance of defending ourselves from.

"God damn it, he was holding back!" I gasped as the needles gouged shallow cuts in my arms and legs as I tried to protect my face.

"Arrg, what do we do?" gasped Naruto, "Can't you do something about these mirrors with your Fire Jutsu?"

"Not a chance," I said as the needle rain faded for a moment as Haku rearmed himself, "They were made with a Kekkei Genkai, there's no way I can make a flame hot enough to melt them."

"Damn, well, let me try this," said Naruto, creating a cross seal, "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

An army of clones appeared and charged the mirrors, only for Haku to destroy them all in seconds and send the original Naruto flying back.

"That won't work," I said, "Hes way too fast."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up.

"I won't give up," he growled as he reached out with his hand and grabbed the hilt of my sword that was lying next to him.

I frowned. There was something off about that movement, as if it was instinctive rather than a conscious choice. Still, the sword would do him no good since he hadn't had any training with it. I opened my mouth to say just that, but stopped as Naruto stood and took a stance. A perfect stance.

"That sword will do you no good," said Haku, "You will fall."

He went on the assault again, but this time, Naruto's movements were completely different as he blocked the needles, weaving a net of steel around himself that kept the needles away from both of us that I didn't stand a chance of replicating with my level of training.

" _What the hell? That goes well beyond natural talent!"_ I thought, wide eyed as I watched with my Sharingan, _"His movements are perfect, like he's been using a sword for years, but I know that Naruto has never been trained in any form of Kenjutsu! And...he's using his left hand. Naruto is right handed, so whats going on here?"_

I narrowed my eyes as I focused on my teammate, trying to figure out if he had been replaced, but I couldn't find any hint of a Genjutsu or transformation. Then, my eyes caught sight of a faint, yellow glow on the back of his left hand.

" _Wait, whats…"_ I thought, before I was forced to deflect a needle that got past Naruto's guard.

"Damn, hes good," I muttered.

"I don't know how you're doing that, but it won't work," growled Haku, showing emotion for the first time since the battle started.

And then the attacks sped up even more if that was possible, passing through Naruto's guard with greater frequency. Naruto let out a yelp as the needles started hitting him and me.

"Grr, damn it!" I shouted, "I can't keep up any more!"

"This is the end!" shouted Haku, unleashing the largest wave of needles yet that passed through both of our guards and turned us into porcupines.

"DAMN IT!" I shouted as my knees gave way, "IF ONLY I COULD USE..! GAH, BRISINGR!"

More out of frustration than anything, I threw the Kunai in my hand at one of the mirrors. Why I shouted the spell I have no idea since I wasn't expecting it to actually work. Thats why, when I felt a massive drain on my energy and saw the knife burst into brilliant white flames, I was quite surprised. The Kunai hit and exploded into blazing white flames that instently evaporated the water around it and melted a big hole in the ice, causing the rest of the mirror to crack deeply.

"That...wasn't Chakra," I muttered as darkness appeared at the edge of my vision, "Damn, thats draining…"

"I don't know what that was, but it seems to have drained you," said Haku as the mirror slowly regenerated, "I doubt you can move now. Your an easy target."

My head snapped up, just in time to see Haku come flying at me in slow motion. I couldn't move so much as a finger I was so drained, but my Sharingan was still active, allowing me to see the needles coming at me in high def slow mo.

" _Oh crap,"_ was my last thought before the needles hit and I fell into Darkness.

 **And thats that. I hope you liked the fight, it was pretty fun to write.**

 **So, Sakura is actually becoming a decent Shinobi already, enough that shes good enough to take down Zabuza's Clones. However, its becoming increasingly obvious that something is different about this Sakura. Think you can guess yet? Oh, and but it has nothing to do with Fairy Tail, despite Sasukes comparison.**

 **Theres also something about Naruto thats different, he was able to use Sasuke's sword with no prior training. And yes, the left hand thing is important. The big clues for both teammates are in Angela's prophecy for those smart enough to figure it out.**

 **Sasuke uses Gramarye for the first time, yatta! For the uninitiated, Brisingr means fire. More info on that later. Oh, and its important to differentiate between Gramarye and Magic because in this world, there totally different.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Next time should end the Wave Arc, but I won't make any promises. Please leave me a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

"Owww, that smarts," I groaned as consciousness slowly returned.

I kept my eyes closed as I took stock. My whole body hurt and I could still feel needles sticking out of me. I was feeling utterly drained, but my Chakra levels were only slightly drained from where they had been before my impromptu magic trick. Whatever that spell had used as an energy source, it wasn't my Chakra. Next step was checking my surroundings with my mental powers.

" _SasuIcantJkjahkfkbksahiuhte!"_

"GAH!" I yelped, grabbing my head as a wave of thoughts crashed over me, "What the hell?"

"Sasuke, you're OK!" said Sakura's voice from right next to me.

I opened my eyes and saw my Teammate and Tazuna stood over me.

"I think so," I said, slowly sitting up, "I feel like I was run over by an Akimichi though. What happened?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," said Sakura, "I couldn't see much through the fog, but Naruto went crazy and managed to beat Haku. Now though…"

She looked towards the end of the bridge. I followed her gaze and was surprised to see Zabuza and Kakashi facing down Gato and his goons with Haku and Naruto behind them. I frowned as I noticed that, although he was still, he was missing the gaping hole in his chest I was expecting and I could still feel his life force.

"Sakura..?" I asked.

"Those men showed up just before Kakashi could hit Zabuza with a Jutsu," said Sakura, "Haku teleported in front of Zabuza and looked like he was going to take it, but Kakashi managed to stop in time."

Huh, that's interesting. It seems that Haku would be surviving this fight.

"Hey, where's my sword?" I asked.

"Its over there," said Sakura, pointing to where the blue sword was resting in a puddle.

I slowly got to my feet and staggered over to it.

"Should you be getting up?" asked Tazuna.

"I'm fine, just drained," I said, "My wounds are minor, so I'll be OK."

I picked up my sword and put my fingers on the gem in the hilt. I could feel the large reservoir of energy that dwelt within the gem, thanks to my newly expanded awareness. I experimentally tugged on the energy like I would my Chakra. The energy responded to my pull and flowed into my body, revitalizing me and washing away the ache of exhaustion.

"Ah, thats better," I said, rolling my shoulders, "I think I need to talk to Angela when we get back to the Village."

"S-sasuke?" stuttered Naruto, "You're OK?"

"Yep, a little sore, but I'll live," I said.

"Hey Sasuke, if you're awake, you can offer us some help," said Kakashi, "We're a bit outnumbered here."

I walked over to Sensei.

"So, what exactly is going on?" I asked, "Judging from the fact you and Zabuza aren't trying to kill each other, I'm guessing something happened while I was out."

"Heh, so you're alive," said Zabuza, "Guess Haku really is soft. Still, I guess its not that bad. As for what happened, we're no longer enemies."

"When you are quite done," said the short figure of Gato, "I'd like to get this over with so I can go home."

"So, he's cut you off?" I asked, "What a moron."

"What was that?" growled Gato.

"Don't you know that cutting of a contract with a Ninja and trying to kill them is a good way of getting a one way ticket to the afterlife?" I asked, "Especially if that Ninja is a Missing Nin."

"HAH! What can you lot do?" sneered Gato, "You're all exhausted, injured and Momochi can't even use his arms!"

"Pah, I don't need my arms to kill weaklings like those," said Zabuza, "Hey Blondie, lend me your Kunai."

"Here," said Naruto, who was kneeling next to Haku, tossing the requested weapon to Zabuza.

"You deal with the goons, Gato's mine," he growled, before taking off towards the mob.

"AH, stop him!" shouted Gato, running into the mob to get away from the charging Zabuza.

"HA, he doesn't stand a chance against all of us!" said one of the goons.

"Maybe not, but you didn't forget about us did you?" I asked as I appeared in front of the speaker.

"HUH!?"

"Genjutsu: Mass Hysteria," I said, my Sharingan on full blast.

The goons in front of me all stiffened as their eyes glazed over.

"What the, where'd he go?" asked one of them, looking around wildly.

"What was that supposed to do?" demanded Naruto.

"Wait for it…" I said.

"ARHHH!" yelled one of the goons suddenly, "MONSTER!"

He lashed out and slammed his club into the goon next to him. That seemed to be the trigger as the rest of the goons caught in my Genjutsu started screaming and attacking one another.

"Hehe, its over," I said, "Anyone caught in this Genjutsu will begin seeing their allies as monsters. The more time passes, the worse it gets until they either tear each other apart or keel over from exhaustion. If it remains active for too long, they can even suffer heart failure from fear. They won't be fighting anyone but each other for a while."

"Where did you learn a Jutsu like that?" asked Kakashi, "Its not one I know. Was it Anko?"

"Nope, I found it in the Uchiha library," I said, "That place is stuffed with all sorts of Jutsu my Clan has gathered over the years. I couldn't learn everything in there if I had a hundred years."

"Very impressive," said Kakashi.

"I'll say," said Naruto, "I wish I had something like that."

"Huh, I didn't think of that," I said, "Tell you what, when we get back to the Leaf, you and Sakura can have a look through it."

"What? But isnt that only meant for Uchiha?" asked Kakashi, looking surprised.

"Technically yes, but nothing in there are Clan Secrets, there stored elsewhere," I said, "And besides, I'm technically the head of the Uchiha Clan since I'm the last loyal Uchiha."

"Ohhh, what happened?" groaned Haku, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Oh, you're OK!" said Naruto.

"AH, where's Zabuza?" he gasped, trying to get to his feet, "What did you do?"

"Calm down Haku," said Zabuza as he walked up to us, covered in blood, "They're not our enemies any more."

Haku immediately relaxed. He stared at me for a moment, before turning and bowing to Zabuza.

"Forgive me Zabuza, I was weak," he said, "I wasn't able to be a True Ninja."

"Sit up Haku," said Zabuza, walking over to the bowing boy.

Haku did as he was told, looking up at Zabuza with blank eyes. That blank gaze was replaced with surprise a moment later though when Zabuza fell to his knees and embraced his student.

"M-master?" gasped Haku, "W-what…"

"You damn brat," said the Demon of the Mist, his voice thick with emotion, "Do you know what you've done to me? You made me a poor Ninja…"

"I-I'm sorry," stuttered Haku.

"Don't be," said Zabuza, "Thank you Haku."

"W-why are you thinking me?" asked Haku, clearly completely out of his depth, "I-I'm just your tool to be used."

Zabuza gave a pained smile.

"Heh, not any more," he said, "Haku, you're not my tool. I think I stopped thinking of you like that a long time ago, I just never realized it. I've raised you since you were a child, taught you everything I know and seen you grow into a fine young Shinobi. I'm proud of you."

Haku's eyes widened, before he teared up. His arms slowly came up to return the hug.

"Well, thats not something you see every day," said Kakashi, tugging his headband back down over his eye.

"Whats going on?"

We turned to see the Villages armed with all sorts of tools staring at the few remaining thugs who were still in the grip of my Genjutsu and the embracing Missing Nin.

"Your late Brat," I said, "We've already finished up here."

"Zabuza Momochi."

I stiffened and spun around to face the source of the voice. Stood on the railing of the bridge was a group of cloaked, masked Shinobi bearing the mark of the Hidden Mist. One of them was holding the Kubikiribocho over his shoulder.

"Hunter-nin," growled Zabuza, "So, you've finally caught up with us…"

"Calm yourself Momochi," said one of the Hunter-nin, "We're not here for your head."

"Then why…"

"The war is over, Yagura is dead and the new Mizukage, Mei Terumi, has ordered you to return."

"Mei is Mizukage?" asked Zabuza, sounding surprised, before he narrowed his eyes, "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Lady Mizukage told us you'd say that and said to show you this," said the Hunter-nin, holding up a scroll with the kanji for Black on it.

I have no idea what it was, but Zabuza apparently did as he went white.

"Alright, I believe you," said Zabuza, "But I'm not leaving Haku."

"Fine," said the Nin, "Come, we will see to your wounds on the way back to the Village."

Zabuza nodded and turned to us.

"Well, this has been fun, but we need to go," he said, "I hope we meet again in better circumstances."

"Likewise," said Kakashi.

"See ya Haku," said Naruto.

"I hope we get chance to finish our fight some day," I said, "Good luck Haku."

"You two Naruto, Sasuke," he replied.

"Hey kid, before I go, I want to give you something," said Zabuza, "You seem to be learning the Way of the Sword, is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Then take this."

I caught the scroll he threw to me.

"That contains the sword I used before I was given Kubikiribocho and a scroll on Kenjutsu techniques."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"You need it more than me," said Zabuza.

"In that case, I accept," I said, "Thank you."

Zabuza nodded, before he and the other Mist-nin vanished.

* * *

With Gato now gone and nothing to threaten them, everyone in the Village pitched in to help on the Bridge, including us and an army of Shadow Clones, the Bridge was done within two days. Now we were stood at the far end of the bridge, saying our last farewells. Naruto and Inari exchanged their tearful farewells, but I was more interested in the scroll Zabuza had given me. It contained a number of different techniques for everything from Zanbato to Tsurugi and both one and two sword styles, which was handy since I could master the use of both swords, although it would take some work to alter the style to work with a Longsword and Katana rather than two Katana's.

Speaking of the Katana, the sword Zabuza had given me was currently still in the scroll until I could get another Sealing tattoo on my other hand. It was a Katana, as I mentioned, with a pure-white hilt with a circular hand-guard and a white sheath. Altogether, it was a weapon that didn't really seem to suit a man known as a Demon. It was a fine weapon and I couldn't wait to get started with it.

* * *

Without a Civilian slowing us down, it took only six hours to get back to Konoha where Kakashi dismissed us with orders to meet again tomorrow at six (or nine to be more accurate). Naruto and Sakura headed off to do their own things, leaving me to head off to find Angela.

"Hello?" I called out as I entered her shop, looking around for the Witch, "Anyone home?"

The colourful bird in the window eyed me as I slowly made my way into the shop and up to the counter, looking around for the mysterious proprietor of the shop.

"Ah, hello Sasuke," said Angela from right behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.

"Don't do that!" I growled, resealing my sword which I had summoned on instinct.

"Aren't you Ninja supposed to be aware of your surroundings?" asked Angela, her eyes twinkling as she headed around the counter and leant on it.

I just let out an irritated growl, which made Angela laugh.

"So, what can I do for you," she asked once she had stopped laughing.

"I used magic," I said bluntly.

"Oh. Tell me."

I filled Angela in on everything that had happened on the mission, including my advancements in the exercises she'd taught me.

"When I came to you to learn Magic, I was expecting it to use Chakra, but what that spell I used on the bridge used most definitely wasn't Chakra," I said, "Do you know anything?"

Angela nodded.

"As it happens, I do," she said, "I was planning to hold off on this, but since you've actually used Magic now, I'll skip the games. You are aware that Gramarye uses energy in the body to achieve its effects and the amount required is the amount that would normally be needed to accomplish the task, so I can skip that. What you don't know is that the energy used is the physical part of Chakra, the Yang. Thats why using too much will kill you because the body loses the energy it needs to keep its basic functions running. There is an art that makes use of Mental Energy, Yin, but I don't know much about it I'm afraid."

"I see," I said, "So it does technically use Chakra, albeit only half of it."

I thought for a moment, before looking at Angela.

"So, what now?"

"Now, we start your education into the Ancient Language and Gramarye," said Angela with a grin that made me fear from my safety, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you master it."

Her evil laughter made me want to run and hide.

 **And thats that done. Not bad, two in a short time and I managed to finish the Wave Arc, so that something.**

 **The end part of the fight between Naruto and Haku was pretty much as canon, but Haku didn't get stabbed by Kakashi and survived. And headed back to Mist with Zabuza. They'll probably be back later.**

 **I'm pretty sure that Mass Hysterea is my own Jutsu and it does exactly what Sasuke said it did. Its not very effective against the strong minded though.**

 **I know that Zabuza was acting a bit OOC, but my muse kinda got away from me at that point. Eh, it works fine.**

 **Two sword style is really cool, which is one of the only reasons I gave Sasuke another sword. Its design is based on one of Zoros swords from One Piece, but its just a generic sword in this story with no special powers.**

 **I hope my explanation into how Gramarye works and differs from Magic makes sense. Basically, while it doesn't use Chakra, it does use Physical Energy and so drains the caster a lot quicker than Jutsu would.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter enough to leave me a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

Angela is poorly named. Shes no Angel, shes a damned Demon! In the three weeks since we had returned from Wave, she had been teaching me Gramarye and the Ancient Language and she was grinding me into the dirt! Still, I was advancing in the Mystic Arts at an incredible rate, as was my fluency in the Ancient Language. Using Gramarye was very different to Jutsu, and not just because it utilized words instead of signs to focus the energy. Since the energy used was solely Physical, it was much more draining than using Chakra, meaning that it was worthless for a protracted battle. To make matters worse, it seemed that having an active and trained Chakra network served as a level of protection from Gramarye based attacks that worked directly, like the Words of Death, were worthless and Ninja training gave people natural mental shields that kept those who knew how to open their minds out.

Thats not to say that it was completely worthless, just that Jutsu was a better option for battle and Gramarye was better for support since healing Spells were much more effective than Medical Ninjutsu.

Still, at least one good thing came of our trip to the Wave. Our teamwork had improved in leaps and bounds and both Naruto and Sakura were training like they were possessed and tearing apart my Library in search of techniques to get stronger. Sakura seemed to really like Fire Jutsu and Naruto had been obsessed with mastering Wind Jutsu, especially after Kakashi tested our Elemental Affinities to reveal some extremely interesting information.

"Whats this?" asked Naruto, looking at the square of paper in his hand.

"Its called Chakra Paper," said Kakashi, "It's used to discover a Ninja's elemental affinity. Simply channel some Chakra into it and it'll react in different ways depending on your affinity."

He held up his own bit of paper and it crickled.

"This means that my natural Chakra Affinity is Lightning," said Kakashi, "This will help us determine which Elemental Jutsu you can learn easily for your future training."

"So, like this?" asked Naruto, channeling his Chakra.

As I expected, the paper sliced in half.

"What's that mean?" asked Naruto.

"Wind Affinity," said Kakashi, "One of the rarest types, outside the Land of Wind."

"REALLY?" yelled Naruto, his eyes sparkling, "THATS SO COOL!"

"Yes, but its not one that I can teach you," said Kakashi.

"Don't worry, I have scrolls containing the training methods back home," I said, "Its not as good as a real teacher, but it'll do."

"Very well, Sakura, your next," said Kakashi.

Sakura did as she was told and nearly dropped the paper as it burst into flames so intense I could feel them from where I was stood.

"Oh my, thats an incredibly powerful Fire affinity," said Kakashi, looking surprised, "I've never seen a reaction like that."

"Well, we won't have any problem with that," I said, "We Uchiha are major Pyromaniacs."

Sakura grinned and dropped the burning paper.

"Alright, now its your turn," said Kakashi, turning to me.

I took a deep breath and channeled my Chakra into the paper.

"Er, nothing's happening," I said after a minute.

"Hmm, that's interesting," said Kakashi, "This has never happened before."

"What does it mean?" asked Naruto.

"It means that he has no affinity."

We all jumped and spun around to face the voice. Sat on a log at the edge of the clearing knitting what looked like a sweater for something with eight arms, was Angela.

"Angela, you really do have a habit of showing up at the most random times," I said.

"Well, I do like to be where everythings happening," said the Witch.

"You know her Sasuke?" asked Kakashi.

"Yep, thats Angela the Herbalist," I said.

"Shes not a Ninja?" asked Naruto.

"Oh no, I'm no Ninja," said Angela, "But I know a little about Chakra."

"Is that so?" asked Kakashi, "So then, what did you mean when you said Sasuke has no affinity?"

"Exactly that," said Angela, "Its rare, only one in 100000, but those who don't have an affinity do exist. Unlike those who do have an affinity, all elements are equal to them in how well they can master them. However, these rare individuals have the ability to use ANY element with training, including those that would normally be Kekkei Genkai."

I blinked.

"Really?"

"Oh, it won't be easy," said Angela, "But with your Sharingan, you should be able to learn them if you see them like any other Jutsu."

"Hmm…"

I closed my eyes and brought my hands into a seal.

"Lets see if thats right," I said, "Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

Immediately, the air temperature around me dropped like a stone and water began to condense, freezing and slowly forming into a mirror. However, after less than a minute, I was forced to release it and fell to my knees, panting for breath.

"Man, thats draining," I muttered, "But I did it."

"I told you, you need to train if you want to master it," said Angela, "Start by mastering the basic Elements, that'll make your Elemental Jutsu more efficient."

* * *

Since then, we'd stepped up our training. Naruto and Sakura went to work mastering the basic exercises of their Elements and I did the same. However, it quickly became obvious that, while being 'Affinityless' granted me a ton of potential power through secondary elements I could learn, having an Affinity made learning Elemental Jutsu a LOT easier as Naruto and Sakura mastered the exercises within a couple of weeks while I was still working on the basics. Then again, I did have five to do, unlike there one. Fortunately, they allowed me to watch them with my Sharingan which cut down on the time needed to master Fire and Wind.

Another interesting thing we learnt is that Naruto had a supernaturally good talent with swords. It didn't matter what type he tried, he used it like a master with decades of experience. However, every single time he tried one, he quickly rejected it, saying that it felt wrong in his hands. He couldn't explain why he felt that way, but he point blank refused to use any sword that felt wrong to him for more than a few minutes. The only one he'd use was my Rider Sword and even then, he prefered to fight with Taijutsu over the 'awkward' sword.

This was all on top of our missions of course and in the time between our return from the Wave, we managed to do 20 D ranks and another 5 C ranks, although fortunately they were actually C ranks. They weren't really anything to write home about, just basic missions to escort caravans and a couple to clear out troublesome wildlife (which didn't seem like a Ninja mission, but whatever), so I won't go into any detail.

* * *

We were returning from one of said missions, with me supporting Naruto who had pushed himself too far (again) when a birdcall drew Kakashi's attention.

"Alright guys, you can go home early today," said the Scarecrow, "It seems something's come up."

He vanished in a puff of smoke.

"So, what do we do?" asked Naruto, "More training?"

"If that you want," I said, "I however am going to have a well earned break. See ya!"

I walked away from my teammates, heading towards the Uchiha Clan compound.

" _So, the Chunin Exams are coming up,"_ I thought, _"I wonder what'll happen. Naruto and Sakura are so much stronger than they would have been. But...I admit, I'm almost tempted not to take part, if only to avoid Orochimaru. I really don't feel like being marked by that damn pedo…"_

I sighed and stopped in the middle of the street, looking up at the sky.

" _Then again, if I don't take part Snakey will probably still find a way to get that Curse Mark on me. Eh, I might as well let the chips fall."_

I smiled and went to continue on my way, but before I could, a scream reached my ears.

"Oh crap, I'd forgotten about that," I muttered, taking off across the rooftops in the direction of the scream.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the place the scream had came from and, sure enough, there I found Konohamaru being held by the scarf by Kankuro. Sakura and Naruto both looked like they were about to snap and tare the Puppetmaster apart, so I decided to step in before they did. I pulled out a Senbon and tossed it at him, piercing him through the wrist and forcing him to drop Konohamaru.

"What? Who did that?" growled Kankuro, looking up towards me.

"Nice timing Sasuke," called Naruto.

"Well, I had to step in before you tore apart our guests, right?"

"Whats that supposed to mean?" growled Kankuro.

"Well, you guys are guests in our Village, probably for the Chunin exams, but that doesn't give you the right to run around beating up the residence of Konoha," I said, "And that kid especially is someone you really shouldn't be hurting, not when hes the Third's grandson."

Kankuro blanched at that.

"Also, those two aren't as weak as they look."

"HEY!"

"Grr, why you…"growled the Puppetmaster, pulling his puppet off his back.

"Kankuro…"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a voice came from the branch right next to me. Sure I was expecting Gaara to show up, but I'm not used to people sneaking up on me. I spun to face the One Tailed Jinchuriki, only to freeze and stare at the sight before me. That...wasn't what I was expecting. It was Gaara alright, but the last time I checked, Gaara wasn't a cute girl! She still had dark red hair, although hers reached her shoulders and was clipped back with black hairclips in her bangs, light green eyes with thick rings around them and the Kanji for Love carved into her forehead, although it was slightly hidden behind her long bangs. She wore a dark red battle skirt, light grey armour that bared her stomach and Shinobi sandals, as well as the large gourd on her back. Oh, and she also had a pink desert rose in her hair.

" _Aww crap, why do I get the feeling that this is going to end badly,"_ I thought as I shoved down the urge to go strangle Angela.

"Your a disgrace to our village," continued the female Gaara.

Her voice was flat and held a husky undertone.

"I-Ilia," stuttered Kankuro, "H-how long have you been there?"

"Long enough," said Ilia, "Have you forgotten what we came here for?"

"But Ilia, they started it!" protested Kankuro.

"Shut up...or I'll kill you."

"Y-your right, I was out of line," stuttered Kankuro, not that I blame him.

That girl may be adorable, but her glare could probably scare a damned Basilisk to death. Ilia vanshed from her perch and appeared between the other two Sand Nin.

"We didn't come here to play around," she said, "Lets go."

I hopped down from the tree.

"Hold up, before you go, I'd like to see some ID," I said, "I assume you're here for the Chunin Exams, but stlll."

"Very well," said Ilia as the three Sand-nin dug out their passports.

I looked them over and found nothing out of the ordinary, before handing them back. As I did, Ilia narrowed her eyes and stepped forwards, getting right up in my face and studying me closely.

"Can I help you?" I asked, not backing down and meeting her gaze.

I noticed that Kankuro and Temari had both stiffened.

"You intrigue me," she said, "Who are you?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," I said, "And you are..?"

"Ilia of the Desert," she replied, stepping back to rejoin her siblings, "I look forwards to seeing you in the exams. Lets go."

They walked away, with Tamari giving me one last look that looked like she was trying to decided what flowers would go best at my funeral. Then again, considering what Gaara was like at this point in the story, I don't blame her. I highly doubt a genderbending will help her psychoses.

"So, you think we'll be taking part in the Exams?" asked Naruto once they were out of sight.

"Probably," I said, "Kakashi will want to show us off and probably knows that you two will be on his ass for weeks if he didn't."

"Heh, I can't wait," said Sakura, "This is gonna be fun!"

I had my doubts about that, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

 **And I'm done here. A bit shorter than normal, but awe well, this is as good a place as any to break.**

 **I hope my explanation of Sasuke's unique Chakra made sense. Basically, he can use any Elemental based Release, including Kekkei Genkei, although it requires a ton of training to be able to use them efficiently. He can't learn anything that requires a physical change like the Dead Bone Pulse or Ocular based Jutsu, nor can he use the Dark or Swift Releases since, although they do use Nature Transformation, aren't Elemental based.**

 **Gaara's a girl. You can probably guess who the rose is now since I was laying it on pretty thick. I know that most people would call a femGaara Geia, but I decided I wanted to be a tad more original.**

 **While I already have a plan for Naruto's pairing, I'd like to hear what you lot want for our favorite blonde knucklehead and Sakura. However, I don't want to pare them together because Naruto's pairing is going have additional abilities that go with Naruto's own.**

 **With that, I'm done. Please leave me a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

It turned out that I was completely correct about Kakashi nominating us for the Chunin Exams (Naturally. We were better than the Canon team seven after all) and after our, very short, team meeting, I headed off with Sakura to pick up a scroll she'd borrowed from my library for training. I had never actually been to Sakura's place and was quite surprised when I found myself stood outside a building that looked strangely out of place among the buildings of the Leaf. It was a large, long, two story building made of wood with raised decking out front. A wooden sign hung above the door announcing that the establishment was called the Cloak and Dagger and showed an image of a cloak pinned down with a rather wicked looking dagger.

"Huh, interesting place," I said.

"Yep, there's nowhere like it in the Elemental nations," said Sakura, "Or at least, thats what my Mom says. You might as well come in to wait since we're open."

I followed my pink haired into the building and found myself stood in a large, open room with a bar at one end, a fire pit in the middle and a number of small tables and chairs scattered around the room. Stood behind the bar was a man who could most accurately be described as massive, with bulging muscles visible on his arms thanks to his rolled up sleeves. He had shoulder length hair that was braided to keep it out of the way and a rough beard that looked like it had been trimmed with a knife. He shared Sakura's green eyes that glimmered with warmth and good humor as he served tankards of ale to the people at the bar.

"Ah, welcome home Sakura!" called the man as we entered, "Your early today."

"Kakashi-sensei let us go since he's recommended us for the Chunin Exams," said Sakura.

"I see," said the man as his gaze shifted onto me, "And this is..?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura's teammate," I said, "Its nice to meet you sir."

"No need to call me Sir my boy," said the big man, "My name's Tor Haruno."

"I'll be right back Sasuke," said Sakura, vanishing through door behind the bar and leaving me to take a seat on a stool.

"So, you're the one who's been lending her those scrolls?" asked Tor.

"Yep, thats me," I said, "Since she wants to get stronger and I'll never use all of them, I might as well help out my Teammates."

"I see," said Tor, "I owe you a thank you."

"Huh?"

"When Sakura first became a Ninja, she never took it seriously," said Tor, "All she was interested in is catching the attention of her crush…"

I shifted awkwardly.

"And my Wife and I were worried that she'd end up dead or worse on one of her missions because she neglected her training. However, ever since you came back from that C rank mission to the Wave, shes nearly become a different person. Shes become strong and I think we owe it to you."

"Actually, I don't think I did anything," I said, "Those changes were entirely hers, although I have no idea what triggered them."

"But you're still helping her, correct?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"Then we still owe you our thanks," said Tor, "And I always repay my debts, one way or another."

He turned away to serve a customer before I could respond.

"Dad giving you trouble?" asked Sakura as she took a seat next to me.

"Just the opposite," I said, "Apparently he thinks he owes me for helping you get stronger."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Well, I can't say I'm totally surprise. I mean, it is thanks to you I'm getting stronger as quickly as I am and Dad's always been big on keeping his promises and paying his debts."

"Sounds like hes an honorable man," I said.

"He is."

I picked up the scroll Sakura had placed next to me and stood.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I've got stuff I need to do," I said, "See ya at the Academy tomorrow."

"Bye Sasuke!"

I headed out of the tavern and headed towards our training ground, intending to get some training in with my swords before tomorrow. However, as I approached, the sound of music reached my ears. I paused and cocked my head on one side to listen. The music was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. Curious, I ghosted through the trees and peaked out to see Naruto sat on top of one of the stumps, playing a tune on an ocarina. I quietly stepped out onto the field, not wanting to interrupt my Teammate playing as I tried to figure out where I had heard the music before. A few minutes after I had arrived, Naruto finished playing and lowered his Ocarina from his lips.

"Very nice, I didn't know you could play the ocarina," I said.

"Its not something I advertise," said Naruto, "I learnt it from one of the ANBU who watched over me as a kid. She taught me that song, said it was important that I remember it for the future for some reason."

"Really?" I asked, "Whats so important about a song?"

"I don't know," said Naruto, "All she said was that it would show me the way."

"The way to what?"

"Not a clue."

"Well thats helpful."

We both fell silent, before I sighed and stood, summoning my swords.

"Well, no point in just standing around. Lets get some training done."

Naruto grinned and slipped of the stump and into a fighting stance.

* * *

The next day we arrived at the Academy bright and early for the exam and headed into the building, completely ignoring the Genjutsu on the second floor and heading up to the third. I was hoping that that would result in us being able to avoid Lee as well since I really didn't want to fight him, but a sudden call from behind us dashed that hope. We stopped and turned to, sure enough, see the bushy browed Green Beast approaching us with his team looking disapproving in the background.

"Can we help you?" I asked.

"Perhaps," said Lee, "I am Rock Lee, you are Sakura, are you not?"

"Thats right," said Sakura.

"Please be my girlfriend! I sware that I will protect you!"

Lee gave a grin with a nice guy pose.

"Not a chance," said Sakura.

I snickered at the stricken look on Lees face. I know its mean, but it was just to funny.

"But why?" asked Lee.

"Well, the main reason is that you're really weird," said Sakura, "But…"

Her eyes flashed and she gave her now customary toothy grin.

"I don't need anyone to protect me," she growled.

Lee twitched back, looking surprised.

"I could have told you that was a dumb thing to say to her," I said, "Come on guys, we gotta go sign in."

"Wait."

"Oh, what now" I groaned, turning around to see Neji and Tenten had joined Lee.

"Whats your name," said Neji.

"Heh, Sasuke Uchiha," I said, "But I think you already knew that, right Neji Hyuuga."

Neji narrowed his eyes.

"So, you've heard of me," said Neji.

"Hinata may have mentioned you," I said.

Neji sneered at the mention of his cousin and turned away.

"Lets go, Tenten, Lee."

He waked away.

"Asshole," I muttered, "Come one guys."

Once more we headed towards the third floor, but as we entered one of the large halls used for indoor sparing when the weather was to foul to do it outside, Lee's voice once again stopped us.

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

I groaned.

"What now?"

"I want to fight you," said Lee.

He vaulted over the edge of the balcony and landed a short distance away.

"This is a bad time to be challenging me," I said, "We need to get and register for the exams."

"That is true," said Lee, "However, I want to test my skills against you."

I sighed.

"Alright, five minutes," I said, "I can give you five minutes. If you want more than that then wait until either we fight in the Exam or until after."

"That will be fine," said Lee, taking his stance.

I took my own stance and for a moment we stared each other down, before I pushed off and charged Lee. As I was expecting, Lee took off, using his speed to close the distance in seconds and aim a kick at my head. I ducked under it, flipping back to avoid the follow up attack. I missed the punch he had aimed at my face though and was sent flying from the blow.

"Ow," I said, getting to my feet and rubbing my jaw, "Damn you're quick. I won't even be able to keep up with you without my Sharingan."

"I was under the impression that you used swords," said Lee, "Are you holding back on me?"

"Not at all," I said, "I just don't think that using sharp swords against my fellow Leaf Nin is a good idea."

"I see, that is a noble ideal," said Lee, "But if you hold back, you won't stand a chance against me."

"We'll see," I said, "Weight, release."

My weights unlatched and I took off, moving far faster than before.

"Ah, you are quick," said Lee, "Unfortunately…"

He vanished and I only had enough time to blink before he kicked me in the chin and send me flying towards the ceiling.

"I am quicker," he finished, appearing behind me in flight, "Your Sharingan cannot see through my techniques."

"Dancing Leaf Shadow," I said, "Wait, you're not gonna…"

Sure enough, he unraveled his bandages. Crap, I really don't want to be on the receiving end of the Lotus. I reached deep into myself, focusing on the part of me that was the source of my Physical Chakra and let it flow.

"Thrysta vindr," I whispered, pointing two fingers behind me.

A bolt of solid air shot out of my fingers and slammed into Lee, knocking him back at the same time that a pinwheel shot from...somewhere else and pinned the trailing bandage to the wall.

"Lee, thats enough!" shouted the turtle that had just appeared.

I was more interested in avoiding breaking anything that paying attention to the talking reptile though. I flipped in the air and aligned myself properly, landing lightly beside my friends.

"Well, that was interesting," I said as I replaced my weight bands.

"Are you OK Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

"Yep, just a few scrapes," I said.

"Hey guys, that guy is talking to a Turtle, right?" asked Naruto.

"Yep."

"Looks like it."

"Oh good, I'm not going crazy."

POOF!

"YOU ARE ALL SO FILLED WITH THE POWER OF YOUTH!" shouted Guy as he appeared on top of the Turtle.

I blinked as I stared at Guy. I knew what to expect of course, but to actually see it was something else entirely. Lee was...weird, but Guy was on a whole other level! We watched in a sort of horrified curiosity, not unlike when one sees a horrifying crash, as Guy scolded Lee for nearly using the Lotus on me. Then they started hugging.

"ARRGGHHG, MY EYES!" yelled Naruto.

"THE HORROR!" shreaked Sakura.

"So thats the Eternal Sunset Genjutsu," I said with my eyes firmly closed, "I admit, I always thought that Anko was exaggerating, but apparently not."

"If it wasn't for the horrifying Genjutsu, that would actually be quite sweet," said Naruto, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the image that had been seared into his eyes.

"They should use that on trators as punishment," muttered Sakura.

"Nah, Anko says it takes all the fun out of it," I said.

"Say, you kids are Kakashi's students, correct?" asked Guy, drawing attention back to his eyebrows.

"Thats us," I said.

"Why, do you know him?" asked Naruto.

"You could say that…" started Guy, before he vanished and reappeared behind us, "That he and I are Archrivals."

"What?" gasped Naruto, spinning around.

"Hes fast," said Sakura.

"Our score currently stands at 50 to 49.," said Guy with a sparkling grin, "I'm stronger than he is."

"Really? Because Anko says you keep balancing out the score," I said.

Guy cleared his throat.

"Ahem, yes, well, you kids should get going," he said, throwing a Kunai that dislodged the pinwheel keeping Lee attached to the wall.

"Good idea," I said, "Hey Lee."

The green clad teen looked up from wrapping his bandages back up.

"I hope we can meet in the Exam," I said, "I'd like to finish this in an arena where we can go all out."

Lee looked surprised, before he grinned and nodded.

"I hope so too Sasuke," he said, "Good luck."

"You too."

* * *

With that, we finally managed to make it to the Third Floor where we found Kakashi waiting for us.

"So, you're all here," said the Copy-nin, "I'm not too surprised. You have all come a long way since we first became a team and I have to say that, whatever happens in the Exams, I am proud of you. Now get in there and show them what Team Seven is capable of!"

He stepped to the side and we approached the doors, me in the middle and Naruto and Sakura flanking me. I grabbed the handles and glanced at my teammates, who both grinned and nodded. I returned the nod and pushed the doors open.

 **And thats the end of this chapter! The first part was more clues about exactly what Naruto and Sakura are if you want to try and figure it out.**

 **Still looking for pairing selections for Naruto and Sakura, Sakura especially.**

 **The first conscious! use of Gramarye! Thrysta vindr means Compress the air and fires a compressed ball of air at the target.**

 **Next time, the Chunin exams start up properly, so that should be fun. Please leave me a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

We entered the classroom and immediately found ourselves under the scrutiny of the many, many Genin teams already there. Despite the low level of KI that was being leveled at us, we just met the glares with our own. Well, Sakura and I did, but Naruto just met them with a grin.

"Hey there Sasuke!"

I blinked and turned to see Ino and her team approaching.

"Oh, hey Ino, Shikamaru, Choji," I said in greeting.

The three hadn't changed much since we graduated, other than gaining some visible muscle definition.

"Hey there Ino," said Sakura.

"Wow Sakura, you look good," said Ino, "And your finally over your Fangirlism."

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"I am," she said, "And I'm sorry for how I acted in the Academy. I was stupid."

"Hey, water under the bridge," said Ino, "I won't hold it against you."

"Man, what a drag," said Shikamaru, "I really don't want to be here."

"Omnomnom."

"Hey, the gangs all here!" said an annoying voice as Squad 8 arrived.

"Kiba," I said, nodding to Shino, who returned it, "Yo Hinata, its been a while."

"Y-yes, it has," said the Hyuuga heiress, apparently still feeling nervous around Naruto.

Kiba and Shino hadn't changed much, but Hinata was now sporting a few additions to her wardrobe, including a pair of gloves and an object wrapped in bandages attached to her hip. Her hair had been grown out and was tied back with a length of bandage wrapped around the bottom part.

I glanced at Naruto and noticed that he was eyeing Hinata with slightly pink cheeks.

"Wow, you look great Hinata," he said, making the girl blush brightly.

"Hey, you guys might want to keep it down over here," said a hated voice as Kabuto approached us.

I turned to face the spy and had to suppress a shudder as I met his eyes and felt his energy. It was...dark and twisted. I could feel his true personality, his bloodlust, just under the surface and for a moment, I was tempted to call him out. However, I had no proof and, if I did, all I'd do is paint a massive target on my back.

"Take a look around," continued Kabuto, "All this noise you're making is riling everyone up."

Sure enough, everyone was now glaring at us.

"Whats it to you?" growled Kiba, "Let them glare."

"Who exactly are you anyway?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Kabuto Yakushi," said Kabuto, "I'm something of a veteran of these exams."

"Oh, you've done them before?" asked Ino.

"Yeah, this is my seventh time," said Kabuto, looking embarrassed.

"You must have a lot of experience then," said Sakura.

"HA! You must be really weak," said Kiba.

"Or these exams are tougher than we thought," said Shikamaru, "Man, what a drag."

"You're right about that," said Kabuto, "That these exams are hard I mean, not that I'm weak."

He reached into his pouch and pulled out his cards.

"Tell you what, since your all new, I'll give you some help with these," he said, "My Ninja info cards."

He gave his explanation of the cards and showed us the map of who's here to take part.

"I also have info on specific competitors," said Kabuto, "So if you want any information, just ask."

"Ilia of the Desert," I said.

"I'd like to see Sasuke Uchiha," said Kiba.

"Aw, you know there names, thats no fun," said Kabuto, swiping his hand across the top of his deck and holding up the two cards, "Here they are. Lets start with Ilia."

Her statistics were exactly the same as Gaara's, so no surprises there. Then, it was my turn.

"Sasuke Uchiha of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, one of the Rookie Nine," started Kabuto, "Mission record, 30 D ranks, 5 C's and, wow, an A rank in which he fought against Zabuza Momochi. He has high level Tai, Nin and Genjutsu and apparently has a number of self created styles based on animals from around the village, as well as being proficient in the use of one and two swords. His nature as a jack of all trades means that his skills aren't up to the same level as someone who specialises more, but he can more than hold his own by switching up his techniques. In addition, he has apparently received training in the use of herbal medicines from a herbalist in the village and interrogation from Anko Mitarashi. Its safe to say that he's one of the stronger individuals in the exams. His teammates are Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno with Kakashi Hatake as his teacher."

"A-an A rank?" asked Ino, staring at Sakura.

"Yeah, that wasn't a fun time," I said.

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall and Sound, they have all sent their strongest Ninja to take part," said Kabuto, "Admittedly, I don't have much information on the Sound Nin because there still new, but this years crop is the strongest I have ever seen."

"Strong huh?" I asked.

"Well then, this test…" said Naruto.

"Might be fun after all," said Sakura.

"Man, you guys really have changed," said Shikamaru, "What a drag…"

"Naruto…"

"Omnomnom."

A flicker of movement caught my eye, just as the Sound team came shooting out of the crowd, gunning straight for Kabuto. Zaku was the first to emerge and leapt over the crowd, drawing back his arm to throw a brace of Kunai at Kabuto.

"Letta," I said.

"GAH!" yelped Zaku as his body suddenly froze.

I couldn't hold him for more than a few seconds as Chakra naturally fought the effects of Gramarye on the body, meaning that to keep it active required a constant supply of energy as if the target had cast a spell to counter, and I wasn't willing to expand the energy needed to keep the spell active. It was enough though as the Sound Nin had lost control of his jump and fell. I didn't do anything about Dosu though, call me vindictive, but it was cathartic watching Kabuto puking his guts up.

"What happened?" asked Naruto, looking surprised, "I thought he dodged it."

"Well, they are Sound Ninja, it stands to reason that they'd use sound," I said.

"The kids right," sneered Dosu as Kin and Zaku flanked him and tried to look menacing, "Put this on your cards, the Sound will be getting three new Chunin this year."

"You know that would be a lot more intimidating if he hadn't just face planted," I said, indicating to Zaku.

The Sound-nin growled and glared at me, but before he could respond, a massive puff of smoke erupted at the front of the room.

"ALRIGHT YOU MAGGOTS, QUITE DOWN!" roared Ibiki as he and a large group of grey clad Chunin emerged from the smoke, "Pleasure to meet you all, I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor for the first exam and your worst enemy."

The entire room shivered under the low level KI Ibika was giving out.

"You three from the Sound, calm down," said Ibiki, "Unless you want me to kick you out before we even start."

"Sorry sir, I guess we got a bit carried away," said Dosu.

"Uh huh, well from now on, there will be no fighting without the express permission of the proctor," said Ibiki, "Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nodded their heads rapidly.

"Excellent," said Ibiki, "Now, we can begin. Each team will bring their paperwork to us and will be given a number. This will be your seat for the written exam."

Naruto twitched.

"Did he just say…"

One of the Chunin held up a sheaf of paper.

"NOOOOOO!"

* * *

It didn't take us long to be seated and I closed my eyes, tuning out Ibiki's reading of the rules in favor of seeking out my teammates. Naruto was no problem, but Sakura's more average Chakra reserves took me a moment to locate. Once I had, I reopened my eyes, just in time to here Ibiki start the test.

"Heh, alright, lets get started," I muttered as I opened my mind, _"Naruto, Sakura, don't react."_

"GAH!" yelped Naruto as he jumped a foot in the air.

" _Idiot."_

"S-sasuke?" whispered Naruto.

" _I'm connecting us using Telepathy,"_ I said, _"You can just think what you want to say and we'll hear it."_

" _How are you doing this?"_ asked Sakura, _"I thought this was a Yamanaka Clan technique."_

" _No, this is far inferior to anything they can do,"_ I said, _"My mental powers are fairly limited in comparison. Technically, this isn't even a Jutsu. However, right now isn't the time for talking about techniques. Do you two know what the real purpose to this test is?"_

" _Let me guess, its not whats on the surface?"_ asked Sakura.

" _No, its not,"_ I said, _"Think about what Ibiki said, 'prove to us that you have what it takes to be Chunin.' He's not forbidding us to cheat, in fact, hes expecting it. What we need to do is gather information without being spotted."_

" _Oh...I knew that,"_ said Naruto.

" _Sure you did. Alright, Sakura, you answer what you can while I use my Sharingan to get answers from the people around me. That way we have two sets of answers, just in case."_

" _What about me?"_ asked Naruto.

" _Naruto, your not suited for subtle information gathering, you don't have any techniques suitable for it in this environment,"_ I said, _"Get the answers from Sakura and don't do anything stupid."_

" _Understood,"_ grumbled Naruto.

At least I'd long since gained enough respect from Naruto that he actually listened to me when I gave him an order.

* * *

The test continued, with a number of people getting thrown out. We weren't having any problems thanks to Sakuras brains and my Sharingan and before long, we were done and ready for the Tenth Question. Suddenly, I became aware of a new presence in our connection.

" _Oh, hello Ino,"_ I said, _"Having fun in Sakura's head?"_

" _W-what the..? How?"_ gasped Ino.

" _Don't worry, I didn't swipe any of your Clans Jutsu,"_ I said, _"Its a different technique I learnt from a friend of mine."_

" _I see…"_ she said, _"So, what are you going to do now?"_

" _Nothing I can do,"_ I said, _"This techniques is only Telepathy and I'm not even close to mastering Mental Combat. At my current level, you'd beat me easily. Besides, I kinda like the idea of all use Rookies getting through. It'd show everyone who thinks we're weak, right?"_

" _I-I guess so,"_ said Ino, apparently still a bit shaken.

" _Just make sure to thank Sakura for her help later."_

" _Got it."_

I smiled and cut the connection. As I did, I became aware of a pair of eyes burning holes in the back of my head. I shifted and glanced over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow when I saw it was Ilia. I met her gaze easily, ignoring the slight look of surprise that passed over her face. I couldn't help but notice that she wasn't giving out any Killing Intent like I would have expected from Gaara at this point in time. Then again, its entirely possible that being a girl has changed her past somewhat and she isn't as unstable. Then again, considering how her teammates acted around her, that was a bit unlikely.

"Pay attention maggots, its time," said Ibiki suddenly, breaking the staring contest, "Now, before I give the tenth question, there are a few more rules you need to know. First, you can choose whether or not to take the question. However, should you chose not to, you will fail immediately."

"Then why wouldn't we chose to take it!" shouted a Nin from the back of the room.

"Because of the next rule," said Ibiki, "If you take it and get it wrong, you can never take the exam again!"

I quickly re established my link with my team, just in time to hear Naruto's mental panic.

" _NARUTO!"_ I roared, cutting through his babbling, _"Calm down."_

" _Calm down?! How am I supposed to do that? If we mess up then…"_

" _Then nothing,"_ I said, _"Ibiki doesn't have the authority to ban us from the Exams, much less the foreign Ninja."_

" _But, the rule…"_ said Sakura.

" _Ibiki is a master of mental manipulation,"_ I said, _"He's the head of the T &I department and Anko's boss. According to her, Ibiki hasn't needed to pick up a tool to do his job for five years. He's a master of playing with the minds of his prey and this is just one more of his mind games. Just stay calm and stay put."_

" _Are you sure?"_ asked Naruto, _"This is a big risk to take."_

" _Naruto, I'd stake my Sharingan on it,"_ I said, _"Trust me."_

There was silence down the link, before I felt my teammates determination.

" _Alright,"_ said Naruto, _"But if you're wrong…"_

" _Yeah yeah, you can kick my ass."_

More and more people were starting to quit and the room rapidly emptied.

" _Hmm, I wonder if more will quit now that Naruto isnt going to…"_

"NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

I let my head fall to the desk in front of me with a thump.

"Oh what is that idiot doing?" I groaned, looking towards my blond teammate.

As I did, I noticed that Hinata had frozen with her hand partway in the air. I smirked as I realized that Naruto must have started shouting because he didn't want to see Hinata get kicked out so early.

"Good on you buddy," I muttered, "I'll let it go. Just this once."

"I don't quit and I won't run!" continued Naruto, "I'll take this question, get it right and become Chunin! Even if I fail, I'll still become Hokage someday, no matter what!"

"Are you sure, this could affect the rest of your life," said Ibiki, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto returned the glare with a confident smile.

"I never go back on my word, not ever," he said, "Thats my Nindo."

There was a long silence as Jinchuriki and T&I leader stared each other down, before Ibiki broke the staring contest and scanned the room.

"Very well, in that case, I have one thing to say," he said, "Everyone here...passes!"

"HUH?!"

 **And thats the end of that, I hope you liked it.**

 **I wonder why Hinata is the only one undergone changes and what that object shes carrying is? Hehe.**

 **Sasuke uses a bit more magic and Telepathy to cheat. I hope my explanation as to how Chakra and Magic interacts makes sense. Its the bullshit rule I created so that Sasuke doesn't just use Death Words to kill everyone he fights in seconds.**

 **Sasuke is a skilled Ninja and one of the best in his age group, just like in Canon, but the fact hes a Jack of all Trades means that he's no match for someone who focuses on an individual ability. His greatest strength is the ability to adapt and counter his opponents.**

 **Next time, the Forest of Death and things start getting very, very interesting. Please leave a review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

I tilted my head to the side as Ibiki explained the true purpose of the first test. I could already feel Anko getting close and was readying myself to dodge in case she decided to 'test' me during her entrance. As expected, as Ibiki finished talking, the window exploded inward and a bundle of fabric came flying in, before it unrolled with Kunai anchoring it in place and revealing the Snake Queen. I was already in motion, evading the trio of Kunai Anko had sent my way and catching a fourth.

"Nice work Brat," said Anko as I came to rest in a single handstand on my desk with her Kunai between my teeth.

"Damn crazy bitch," I said, "These things are poisoned."

"What? Its not like you can't cure it," said Anko.

"That doesn't mean I like being poisoned Anko!" I shouted, throwing the Kunai back at her.

She just caught it without losing her grin.

"Ahem, not that this comedy act isnt hilarious, but don't you have something to say Anko?" said Ibiki, "Also, your early."

Anko blushed and I flipped back into my seat, ignoring the looks I was getting from the other competitors.

"26 teams?" asked Anko as she looked around, "Did you go easy on them Ibiki?"

"Not at all," said Ibiki, "Its just that this year we have some impressive candidates. You're going to have your work cut out for you."

"HA! I don't care how good they are, by the time I'm done, more than half will be gone," said Anko with a dark grin, "Alright Maggots, meet me at Training Ground 44 in half an hour!"

She jumped out of the window. Everyone scrambled to leave, not wanting to get on the bad side of the crazy lady by being late. I got to my feet and joined my teammates at the door.

"You know that crazy lady Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

"I live with her," I said.

"HUH?"

"Yep, have done since my Clan was wiped out. Don't you remember? Kabuto said I'd received training from her."

"Is she really as crazy as she seemed?" asked Naruto.

"Oh no," I said, making both teammates sigh with relief, "Today she seemed calmer than normal."

I stifled a laugh at the looks on my Teammates faces.

"Thats enough talk," I said, "Come on, lets go to the Forest of Death!"

The terrified squeaks my teammates made at the name of the TG really did make me laugh.

* * *

It didn't take us long to arrive at the Training Ground where we found a slowly growing crowd of Genin staring at the dark trees in terror as growls, hisses and gurgles of the monstrous residence of the Training Ground echoed from deep within.

"Welcome everyone, to this little slice of heaven on earth, Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death!" said Anko, spreading her arms to indicate to the twisted forest, "And you kiddies are gonna be finding out exactly why we call it that first hand."

I shivered. Anko had dragged me in there a few times and I can safely say that it more than lived up to its name. I hate bugs.

"HA, was that supposed to scare us?" said Kiba, puffing his chest out, "If a girl like you can survive there then…"

He was cut off as a Kunai shot past his ear, scoring a slight cut in his cheek.

"You know kid, its cocky ones like you who are usually the first to die," said Anko as she appeared behind Kiba and put another knife at his throat, "They spill all this beautiful red blood everywhere. Hmm, I wonder if you'll paint the forest today?"

"Man shes laying it on thick today," I said, ignoring the way Naruto and Sakura were hiding behind me, "I wonder if she and Kurani have made another bet to see if she can scare someone into pissing themselves without using KI again?"

"Again?" asked Sakura.

I didn't answer, instead narrowing my eyes at the Kusa Genin I knew was Orochimaru in disguise. I could feel it, his dark and twisted Chakra. I wasn't even sure he was Human, not with Chakra that! Suddenly, the feeling that I was being watched stole over me and I broke out into a cold sweat. Whatever was looking at me was powerful, so insanely powerful that it made Orochimaru look like an ant, and Evil. I could feel it, whatever it was was pure evil on a level well beyond Orochimaru and Kabuto combined. And it was looking right at me, seeing all that I was, judging me and dismissing me as a mere insect to be swept aside. I couldn't fight it, no matter how strong I became, all I could do was hide and hope that it didn't spot me or be completely consumed by its Darkness…

"SASUKE!"

I gasped and jerked as someone shook my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance. I fell to my knees, shivering and gasping as the intense fear I had felt slowly faded.

"Are you OK?" asked Sakura worriedly, kneeling down next to me.

"I-I think so," I said.

"What happened?" asked Naruto.

I swallowed.

"Evil," I said, "I don't know what it was, but it was pure evil and powerful beyond imagining."

My Teammates stiffened and looked around.

"Is it here?" asked Sakura.

"No, I don't think so," I said, "Thats the scariest part. I-I think I was feeling it _through_ someone here. A bond or something that links one of the Genin to whatever it was I was sensing."

"Hey Sasuke, are you OK?" said Anko as she came over.

I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Don't worry about me."

"Right, if you're sure," said Anko, eyeing me worriedly, "Here, you three need to fill these in."

She handed us a waver each.

"What did I miss?" I asked.

Sakura quickly explained the rules of the test as we all signed the papers and headed over to collect our Scroll. We ended up with a Heaven Scroll, so its nice that some things stay the same.

* * *

It seemed like no time at all before we were at our gates, waiting for the last few seconds to tick down before we began. I had mostly recovered from my exposure to whatever that evil was, although I had no doubt I'd be sleeping lightly tonight.

" _OK guys, I'm going to create a connection between us for the duration of this exercise,"_ I said over our newly forged telepathic link, _"It'll allow us to distinguish between imposters and track one another down if we become separated."_

" _Good idea,"_ said Sakura.

Naruto just nodded, clearly eager to get started. A moment later, the Chunin by the gate grabbed it and shoved it open as Anko called for us to begin over the tannoy. We immediately took off into the trees, trying to get as far away from the gates as possible so as to avoid being attacked at the gate.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, the sound of screaming reached our ears as we came to a stop to plan.

"Sounds like someone got nabbed," I said, "We need to be careful. Not only do we have to worry about other Ninja, but we also have to keep an eye out for the animals that make this place there home."

"Good advice," said Sakura.

"Yeah yeah, so whats the plan for getting the Scrolls we need?" asked Naruto.

"I think our best bet is to set up an ambush," I said, "While I don't know this place like Anko does, I have been here a few times and know some good places to set up ambushes. I think the…"

I trailed off as a sound reached my ears.

"Sasuke?"

"Do you guys hear that?" I asked.

My teammates fell silent and listened.

"Sounds like wind," said Sakura.

Narutos eyes widened.

"CRAP, THATS…"

Before he could finish, a massive gust of wind came blasting out of the forest and slammed into us before we had chance to brace ourselves, blasting all three off us off our feet and sending us flying through the trees.

"Damn, I can't believe I forgot," I growled, "Then again, I was expecting the Rain nin first. Eh, this just means I can get the the main event."

I flipped in the air and grabbed onto a passing branch, flipping around it and out of the windstorm, landing on the branch with ease.

"Now, where are my Teammates?" I muttered, closing my eyes.

Through the link, I could sense that Sakura was close by and heading in my direction, but Naruto had been blown deeper into the forest towards a place where not even Anko would go, although she'd never told me the reason. Still, if whatever was there was enough to scare of the Snake Bitch, it was probably a good idea to go help him before it was too late. I opened my eyes as Sakura landed on the branch beside me.

"Wheres Naruto?" she asked.

"That a way," I said, pointing in the direction of the link, "And we should probably hurry. That section of the forest is the one place Anko won't go into and I'd rather not find out why. Lets go…"

"Hey guys!" shouted 'Naruto' as he landed on the branch beside us, "Are you guys alright?"

I didn't even bother to look at him, just turned on my heel and booted him off the branch, followed by Sakura slamming a fist into his stomach that sent him crashing into the ground.

"W-what the hell guys?" gasped the fake, struggling to sit up from the crater he had made.

"Drop the act," I said as Sakura and I dropped out of the tree, "We can tell you're not really Naruto."

Orochimaru stared at us for a moment, before he gave a smile that really didn't look right on Naruto's face and licked his lips.

"Very good," he said as he released the transformation, "Tell me, what gave me away?"

I just smiled and tapped the side of my head.

"A good magician never reveals his secrets," I said, "The same goes for Ninja."

"I see," said Orochimaru, taking off his hat, "This is going to be more fun than I was expecting."

" _This is bad…"_ I thought, _"We can't afford to waste time while Naruto could be in danger, but I know for a fact that we won't be able to beat Orochimaru any time soon. Then there's_ THAT. _I wonder if we could escape? Probably not…"_

I was broken from my thoughts as Orochimaru took out his Earth Scroll and swallowed it, making Sakura let out a disgusted noise.

"There, now this battle will end with one of us with both scrolls and the other…" he looked up and met our eyes, "Dead."

He pulled down his eyelid and immediately KI on a level well beyond Zabuza washed over us. However, this KI had nothing on the intense feeling of Evil that had hit me only an hour ago. It was still really bad and my entire body locked up, but at least I didn't start hallucinating. Sakura also didn't look like she was being affected quite as badly as she should have been, although, unlike with Zabuza's KI, it looked like this time she was scared.

"Oh? You two can still move?" said Orochimaru, sounding surprised, "Well, your a lot stronger than I thought. No matter."

He pulled out two Kunai and threw them at us. Sakura was apparently not as badly affected as I thought as she dove forwards and tackled me out of the way, dragging me into the trees as I shook off the effects of the KI and took of under my own power.

"W-what the hell was that guy?" asked Sakura once we stopped out desperate flight, "Was that what you felt back outside the forest?"

I shook my head.

"No, what I felt was much worse," I said, "But that was definitely no Genin to be able to produce KI like that."

I looked up and froze when I saw the massive snake that was looming over us.

"Crap."

I leaped forwards and tackled Sakura out of the way as the snake struck at us.

"That was close," I said.

"Yeah, thanks for the save," said Sakura.

"You saved me down there so we're even," I said, "Now, lets deal with the handbag and get after Naruto."

Sakura nodded and we leaped of our perch, unleashing a wave of Shuriken that quickly turned the snake into a pincushion and sent it crashing to the ground.

"Very good, you're much better than I was expecting," said Orochimaru as he slowly emerged from the snakes body.

"I think I'll take that as a complement," I said, "I don't suppose we could convince you to take a raincheck on this fight? Our teammate may be in a lot of trouble and we'd like to go help him out."

"Ah, how touching," said Orochimaru, "Unfortunately, I have no intention of allowing my pray to get away."

I let out a sigh.

"Fine, I guess we have no choice then."

I smirked and flicked my wrists, causing braces of Shuriken to appear in my hands.

"Dodge this!" I shouted as I threw the weapons and went threw a set of signs, "Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Instantly, the Shuriken multiplied until there was a wall of steel flying at Orochimaru. I wasn't expecting them to actually do anything and I was proven right as the Snake-nin simply released his Chakra to deflect the weapons. However, the Shuriken were only a diversion and I pulled on the wires that were attached to a number of the Shuriken, pulling them tight and binding Orochimaru to the tree behind him. I put the wires into my mouth and flipped through a set of signs.

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" I shouted, blowing fire down the wires towards Orochimaru.

I immediately went through another set of signs and lightning sparked between my fingers.

"Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder!"

The lightning joined the fire shooting down the wires.

"WHAT?" gasped Orochimaru as the two Jutsu hit and he started screaming.

"And finally, Wind Style: Air Bullets!" I shouted, spitting out a blast of wind that hit the flaming Orochimaru and caused the fire to erupt even higher.

I let the wires fall from my teeth and fell to my knees, panting.

"Damn, that was a lot of Chakra," I said.

"I think you overdid it a bit," said Sakura, eyeing the pyre that was Orochimaru.

"To quote Anko, there's no kill like overkill," I said.

"Hehehehehe, that was very impressive Sasuke-kun," said Orochimaru's voice.

"W-what the...how did he survive that?" gasped Sakura as the Snake Sannin slowly emerged from the tree with his face half melted off.

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting that to work," I said, "After all, it'd take more than that to kill a Sannin. Right, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru grinned and pulled of the remains of his melted face.

"Very good, when did you figure it out?" he asked.

"About when you sent the snake after us," I said, "So tell me, what's one of the Sannin doing pretending to be a Genin? I know its not just so you can relive the glory days. What do you want?"

"What I want Sasuke...is you!"

Before I could react, his neck stretched out and shot towards me. I would have attempted a Replacement, but he hit me with a concentrated blast of KI that froze me in place long enough to bite me.

" _Oh shit,"_ I thought, right before my body started to burn.

"Sasuke? Whats wrong?" yelled Sakura as I collapsed, "What did you do to him?"

"I just gave him something to remember me by," said Orochimaru, "Soon, he will come looking for me and the power I can give him!"

" _Like hell, asshole,"_ I thought as my Chakra went haywire, _"Oh that smarts!"_

"S-sakura," I gasped through the pain.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" she gasped.

"No, I think I'm gonna pass out," I said before I did just that.

 **And I'm done. Well, that was a lot of fun to write.**

 **I wonder what it was that Sasuke sensed? Something dark and evil thats more powerful than Orochimaru? Will we be finding out soon? Heck yeah!**

 **Theres no such thing as overkill. Words to live by when it comes to evil snake men obsessed with Immortality.**

 **The next chapter will be a little bit different. We're going to be seeing what Naruto's up to in the abandoned part of the Forest. Until then, please leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Naruto let out a groan as he slowly regained consciousness. He slowly sat up, rubbing his head where it had slammed into the tree that had stopped his flight through the forest. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. The forest here looked old, far older than the rest of it, and seemed to be lusher and less twisted than the other parts of the forest. There were also the remains of what looked like a temple of some sort scattered throughout the area.

After checking his surroundings to make sure nothing was about to eat him, Naruto took stock of himself. Other than a decent sized goose egg on the back of his head from the impact with the tree, his other injuries were minor scratches. However, while he was unharmed, the same couldn't be said for his clothes, which were nearly completely torn up, leaving him in just his mesh under armour, the remains of his trousers and his headband.

"Aw great, thats all I need," grumbled Naruto, "I hope I can replace these…"

He turned to the carved out gap through the trees back the way he came.

"I don't have time to worry about that though. I need to get back."

He started to head back up the path the Great Breakthrough Jutsu had made, but before he'd gone more than a few steps, the sound of childish laughter reached his ears. Naruto froze, his hand leaping to the hilt of his Kunai.

"Ehehehe, oh me oh my, what have me here?" said a sing-song voice, "A little Ninja lost in the woods?"

"Whos there?" said Naruto, scanning the trees around him, "Show yourself!"

"Oh, thats no fun!" said the voice, "If you wanna catch me, you'll have to find me!"

"I don't have time to play games," said Naruto.

"Aww, thats no good," said the voice, "Hmm, I wonder if this will change your mind?"

Naruto suddenly felt something drop down behind him, but before he could react to it, he felt something tug at his headband.

"HEY!"

He spun around as his headband was snatched away, swiping at whatever had stolen it, only to hit nothing but air.

"Hehehehe, if you want this back, you need to catch me!" This time the voice came

Naruto spun to see the source of the voice stood up in the branches of a tree, dancing from foot to foot. What he saw made him stop and stare because the thing that had stolen his headband was not Human. It was small, only about the size of a child and was wearing tattered, reddish clothes that looked like they were made of leaves and a large, wide brimmed hat around which was wrapped Naruto's headband. Its face was bone white with large, orange eyes and it had a massive, toothy grin that looked a lot like the one Naruto used to wear when he pulled pranks.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Naruto, "What are you?"

"Skull Kid is me!" chirped the creature, "And Skull Kid is Skull Kid!"

"Alright then Skull Kid, give me back my headband if you know whats good for you!" said Naruto.

"Oh, thats not how this game works!" said Skull Kid, grinning down at Naruto, "You want this back, you need to catch Skull Kid!"

Naruto let out a growl.

"Damn it, I don't have time for this!" he snarled and leaped at the Skull Kid.

Before he could grab the little menace, it spun and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"Nananana, you can't catch me!" yelled the Kid from a nearby tree, sticking its tongue out at Naruto.

"Why you little brat!" snarled Naruto.

The blond leaped after the Skull Kid, who took off thru the trees at incredible speed, giggling in its annoying voice as it danced around Narutos attempts to catch the little bugger.

"Screw this," growled Naruto, placing his fingers in a sign, "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

Immediately, an army of clones appeared and charged the Skull Kid, who just laughed louder.

"Ehehehe, this games getting fun!" it said, "But now I get to bring out reinforcements to!"

It pulled a trumpet out of its tattered cloak and blew it. Immediately, something came dropping out of the trees and started destroying clones. They were puppets sort of resembled the Skull Kid, with gangly arms tipped with sharp claws that made short work of Narutos clones thanks to the surprise of their arrival. However, once they got over there surprise at the unexpected enemy dropping in on them, the Clones started fighting back and made short work of the puppets. However, there seemed to be a never ending number of the puppets dropping from the trees

Naruto ignored the puppets, leaving them to his clones as he took off after the retreating Skull Kid, following the sound of its laughter and its trumpet. He spotted the creature a short distance away, dancing on a branch in front of a solid wall of foliage.

"I've got you now!" shouted Naruto, diving at the Skull Kid.

The little being simply giggled and spun out of the way, allowing Naruto to sail past and through the wall of leaves. Naruto's eyes widened as he passed through the foliage and found himself hanging in empty air.

"CRAAAAPPPP!" he yelped as he plummeted down towards the forest floor.

KASPLOOSH!

And landed in a pond. Naruto surfaced, spitting algae tasting water as he splashed to the pond's edge and pulled himself out of the water.

"I am going...to…" Naruto trailed off as he got to his feet and saw his surroundings.

He was in a large clearing, surrounded on all sides with thick foliage. However, thats not what caught Narutos attention, no, that was the ruins that filled the clearing. It looked like a large building had once stood here a long time ago and time had reduced it to a mere shadow of its former self. Broken walls, statues and the remains of a stone doorway, as well as a triangle shaped crest on the floor that seemed to be glowing slightly.

Naruto slowly made his way through the ruins, all thoughts of the Skull Kid now chased from his mind in the face of these incredible ruins that were so unlike anything he had ever seen before. His feet lead him through the door where he found himself in a large, circular area with a pedestal that looked like it once held a sword placed on a small diaus that held another triangle shaped crest, a truly massive tree and a stone sarcophagus nestled between two massive roots. The lid of the grave depicted a man clad in a tunic and a hat with a longsword and shield resting on his chest. Spaced evenly around the area was a number of statues, all depicting similar men of all ages, from children the same age as Konohamaru to young adults, all in the same tunic and hand and wielding similar swords and shields.

"What is this place?" asked Naruto.

"This is the Temple of the Hero," said a voice.

Naruto jumped and looked up to see a masked figure stood in the branches of the tree.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto.

The figure didn't answer, instead jumping down to land in front of Naruto and slowly stood. It was a person, slightly shorter than Naruto and wearing body obscuring clothes that hid their gender. They consisted of a dark blue bodysuit with light armour covering the chest with a red eye-like symbol painted on it, four large daggers strapped to their hips, black, thigh high boots and bandages wrapped around their wrists. Their face was covered in a white scarf and their hair was covered by a bandanna with only a few strands of black hair sticking out. Strapped to their back was a golden lyre.

"I am Sheik of the Sheikah tribe," said the person, bowing slightly, "We have been watching over this place for generations, waiting for the day the Hero would return. Tell me, are you the Hero?"

"I don't know what your talking about," said Naruto.

"Are you sure?" asked Sheik, taking the lyre of his back.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Sheik began to play, before they widened as he recognized the song. Almost without realizing, his hand went to his pouch and pulled out his ocarina, moving the instrument to his lips and joining Sheik in a perfect duet. As the two Ninja played, the backs of their left hands lit up with golden glows, revealing triangle shaped crests on the backs, even through Sheiks glove. The statues around the room also lit up, as did the triangle crest on the diaus. As the music reached its crescendo, beams of light shot from the statues and hit Naruto, covering the blond in a golden glow that hid him from view for a moment, before fading and revealing that his tattered clothes had been replaced by the same green tunic and hat that the statues wore. Strapped to his back was a longsword and a metal heater shield bearing the triangle crest, a red bird and the Leaf Village emblem.

The music slowly faded as the two Ninja finished playing and lowered their instruments, before Naruto noticed his sudden change of clothes.

"Whoa, what happened to my clothes?" he asked as he examined his new gear.

"That is the garb of the Hero of Legend," said Sheik.

"What Hero?" asked Naruto.

"According to legend, long before the founding of the Elemental Nations, there was a war between the people of the Goddess and the Demon Race," said Sheik, "The Goddess won and sealed the Demon King Demise away, but not before she was forced to send the Human Race into the sky to protect them. Thousands of years later, the seal was broken and a Hero was forced to battle and stop the Demon Demise with the aid of the living incarnation of the Goddess. He succeeded, but in his final moments, Demise placed a curse on the Blood of the Goddess and the Soul of the Hero that they would forever be haunted by an embodiment of his rage. Time and again throughout history, the world has come under threat from this embodiment and time and again he had been stopped and defeated by the Hero and the Princess."

Sheik indicated to the surroundings.

"This place is a monument to those heros, built by the last remnants of the people of Hyrule and protected by their ancestors over the Ruins of the Temple of Time."

"What does all this have to do with me?" asked Naruto.

Sheik pointed to his left hand.

"That symbol is the symbol of the Hero," she said, "Each time the Hero is born, he bares that mark. It is the Triforce of Courage and grants its bearer protection from Dark Curses and supernatural skill with weapons of all sorts, especially swords."

"So thats why I was able to use Sasukes sword so well," said Naruto, "This things so cool!"

Naruto froze.

"Oh no, my team!" he gasped, "I-I need to find them!"

He turned to leave.

"Naruto, wait!" shouted Sheik, "You'll need this."

He threw something at Naruto, who caught it and found that it was his headband.

"Thanks," said Naruto, "I nearly forgot about this."

He turned to leave again, but paused.

"Hey wait, how do you know my name?" he asked.

"Not important, now go, your team needs you," said Sheik.

Naruto hesitated for a moment longer, before he nodded and took of into the trees, leaving Sheik alone.

"Good look...Naruto," he whispered.

 **And we're done with this chapter. Bit short, but its got everything it needs.**

 **So, Naruto is the most recent incarnation of Link and the Elemental Nations may or may not be Hyrule way, way in the future. The song they played was Zelda's Lullaby for those interested.**

 **Who do we think the latest incarnation of Zelda, and thus, Sheik is?**

 **I've added a few abilities that the Triforce of Courage grants its holder, mainly because I can't think of a single other reason as to how Link could use half the crap he gets in the games without some sort of supernatural help.**

 **Well, I had fun writing this one. Next time, we're back to Sasuke. Until then, leave me a review!**


	15. Chapter 15

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

I lay face down, listening to the silence. I couldn't sense anyone else around me. I was perfectly alone. Nobody was watching. Nobody else was there. Hell, I'm not entirely sure that I was there either. I don't know how long I lay there before I realized that I had to exist because I could feel a floor beneath me.

That realization resulted in me realizing that I was also completely naked. Normally, that would put me on edge, both because I really don't like being starkers, but also because it meant I didn't have any weapons, but for some reason, it didn't bother me. I opened my eyes, realizing for the first time that they were closed, and found that I was laying in a bright, glowing mist. It wasn't like normal mist though as it didn't seem to hide my surroundings so much as seem that it simply hadn't formed into them yet. The floor seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something.

He sat up and took stock of my body. My body appeared unscathed which was a little jarring because I know I had at least a few injuries from the fight with Orochimaru. Not only that, but the collection of scars that I had amassed over the years were gone, leaving me with completely smooth skin.

Then a noise reached my ears through the unformed nothingness that surrounded me, the small soft thumping of something flailing, and struggling. It was a pitiful noise, but it indicated that I was not alone and I suddenly wished I had my clothes back. Barely had the wish formed in my head than my clothes appeared on my body. They felt warm and soft, as if they had been freshly washed and I hadn't been wearing them while fighting in a forest.

"Huh, thats interesting," I muttered, unsealing my sheathed Katana and unsheathing it.

I stood up, looking around, keeping my sword at the ready. Where the hell was I? The longer I looked, the more there was to see. A great domed glass roof glittered high above me as if in the sun. I entertained the idea that I could be in some sort of place, but discarded it quickly. All was hushed and still, except for those odd thumping and whimpering noises coming from somewhere close by in the mist.

I turned slowly on the spot, my surroundings seeming to come into existence before my eyes. A wide-open space, bright and clean, a hall larger by far than anything in the Leafl, with that clear, domed glass ceiling. It was quite empty. I was the only person there, except for...

I recoiled as I finally caught sight of the source of the noises. It had the form of a small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw and rough, flayed-looking and its long hair straggly and unkempt and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted, stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath.

I choked down the urge to vomit and slowly approached it, taking in its features. It was very familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Then, it tilted its head and I caught a flash of dull, yellow eyes and I realized what it was.

"What the hell!" I gasped, "Is that..?"

"Yes, that is all that remains of the part of himself that Orochimaru put inside you with his Curse Mark," said a familiar voice from behind me.

I jumped and spun around, my jaw dropping at the sight in front of me.

Sat on a nearby seat was Angela the Herbalist, knitting something out of fluorescent pink wool.

"A-Angela? What are you doing here?" I asked, "And while I'm asking questions, where is here?"

"Where we are is inside your Soul," said Angela, "As for why I'm here, well, I do like to be wherever the most interesting events are happening."

I stared at her.

"Alright, I know that, but how the hell did you get into my Soul?" I asked, "I know you're not exactly normal, but this takes the cake."

"Oh, getting in here was easy with my power," said Angela, "When you can create new dimensions, getting into people's Soul Scapes is easy."

I felt a shiver go up my spine.

"Angela, who are you, really?" I asked.

Angela opened one eye and looked directly at me and for the first time I realized that her eyes were pale white, not unlike the Byakugan.

"Why ask questions to which you already know the answer, little Outsider," she said.

I swallowed.

"Don't tell me...Your Kaguya Otsutsuki, aren't you," I said.

Angela smiled.

"I haven't gone by that name in a very long time," she said, looking nostalgic.

"But how?" I asked, "Shouldn't you be sealed in the Moon?"

Ang...Kaguya tilted her head on one side.

"Sasuke, this world isn't the same as the one you read about in your last life," she said, "Hell, in this world, I'm not even the creator of Chakra, my Sons just came up with the usage of it."

"So wait, if you never became the Ten Tail, where did the Tailed Beasts come from?" I asked.

"Ganon."

"Oh, that make...WHAT?!"

"In one of his many attempts to take over the world, an incarnation of Ganon attempted to take the powers of the Shinju and ended up getting consumed by it. My kids were able to beat him and seal him away, but the Hero wasn't born, so he wasn't fully defeated."

"Great, so that means we'll have to deal with it?"

"Yep."

I sighed.

"Oh, you want to know the best part?" said Kaguya with a grin, "He's teamed up with another monster out to destroy the world to counter the Hero."

"So basically, there are two prophecies coming to pass and we're caught in the middle?"

"Sounds about right."

I groaned and dropped my head into my hands.

"Great, thats all I need," I groaned.

"Cheer up, it could be worse," said Kaguya, "At least you don't have to fight me."

"Hey, now that I think about it, how the hell do you know so much?" I asked, "I know you're a Seeress, but that doesn't explain how you know about me."

"My kind have long since transcended the physical world," said Kaguya, "Our connection to Magic has resulted in us entering the Realm Outside of Time, which allows us to see all things connected to our Multiverse."

"Your kind?"

"The Grey Ones."

"Somehow I'm not surprised by that in the slightest," I said with a sigh, "So, what now?"

"Now, you go back and finish this exam," said Kaguya, "Oh, and don't worry about the Curse Mark, the removal of Orochimaru's Soul Fragment has neutralized it."

I eyed the Rabbit Goddess, not liking the smile she was wearing.

"What are you plotting?" I asked warily.

Kaguya smiled and reached out, poking me in the forehead. My eyes widened as I felt her Chakra flow into me, scorching a path through my Chakra coils and burning away what little corrupted Chakra remained in them, before it surged back into my shoulder and the Curse Mark.

"My last gift to you my friend," said Kaguya as I fell to my knees, holding my shoulder in pain, "Its time for me to move on. Until we meet again."

The world went white as the Chakra final settled.

* * *

3rd person

Sakura was scared. That wasn't a feeling she'd felt in a while, not since the Wave in fact, but this time was different. She was exhausted hurt and it was abundantly clear that everyone who had come to 'help' wouldn't be much help. Lee had already been taken down after putting up a decent fight, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had become useless the moment the Sound-nin had revealed they didn't care one jot about their teammate and, although she had got a lot stronger since the Academy, she wasn't anywhere near good enough to take on three enemy Nin at the same time, on top of the fact she was out of Chakra. This was looking bad. Still, with the arrival of Lee's teammates, it looked like she could at least hold back until either Naruto found them again or Sasuke regained consciousness.

Suddenly, as if conjured by that though, Sakura suddenly felt a strange energy erupt behind her. She turned and saw Sasuke, slowly getting to his feet.

"S-sasuke?" she asked, not sure whether whatever she was sensing was actually her teammate.

"Heh, so he's finally awake," sneered Zaku, "Fine, then lets get started. SUPER SLICING SOUNDWAVES!"

He fired a blast of his signature Jutsu at where Sasuke had been laying, heedless of the fact he'd have hit Sakura as well.

"Heh, not so strong after all," he said.

"W-what? Zaku, your hands!" shouted Dosu.

"What?"

He looked down, only to see the bleeding stumps where his hands used to be.

"GAYAAHAHHA!"

Sakura stared at the disarmed Sound-nin in horror, before slowly turning back to Sasuke, who had his hand extended as if to cut something. As Sakura watched, Sasuke looked up and revealed his face, making her gasp and recoil. His black eyes that were normally so expressive were a flat black, resembling river stones rather than their normal onyx, while the left side of his face was covered in strange black energy that created swirling patterns, while the visible skin on his left arm was also covered in the same energy. He slowly lifted his arm as his blue sword appeared from its seal, before swinging it down. What happened next would stick with all the witnesses for the rest of their lives. With no Chakra or Jutsu that any of them could sense, the swing created so much force that it tore a massive gash in the earth and destroyed a huge swath of trees.

"INO, GET OUT!" shouted Shikamaru as he scooped up the blonds body and sprinted for the treeline, "WE NEED TO GO!"

"R-right," said Ino in Kin's body, "Release!"

Kin's body collapsed as Ino's soul left it.

" _W-what the hell is this?"_ thought Dosu as he stared at the thing that was supposed to be Sasuke, "This Chakra… Its not Human!"

He stiffened as Sasuke turned his blank eyes on him and, for a moment, he could have sworn he saw a three eyed figure with horns stood behind the young Uchiha. Sasuke cocked his head on one side, before he vanished. Dosu's eyes widened as he sensed the Leaf Genin appeared behind him and braced himself for his inevitable death. The sword came down...only to be blocked by a shield as a new figure suddenly appeared.

"Sasuke, thats enough!" shouted the newcomer, shoving the berzerk teen back.

Sasuke hit the ground, his sword falling from his grip, before he flipped back to his feet. The newcomer lowered his shield and took a stance, glaring at Sasuke. Dosu gulped and fell to his knees, unable to beleave that he was still alive.

"Sasuke, calm down," said Naruto, "Whats got into you?"

Sasuke didn't answer, instead he held out his hands as the black energy on his body shifted, extending to his right arm as well and flowing down and out of his arms, forming into two massive claws of shadow.

"OK, thats different," said Naruto, readying himself.

Sasuke suddenly vanished and the blond swordsman reacted, snapping his sword behind him just in time to catch the claw strike that would have taken his head off. The two teammates remained locked for a moment, before they broke apart and leaped apart. They remained still for a moment, before charging and clashing again.

Sakura stared at her fighting teammates for a moment, before she clenched her fist and stood.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" shouted Ino as the pink haired girl slowly approached the two fighting boys.

She didn't answer, instead she just kept walking with her head bowed and her eyes shadowed until she reached her teammates who were again locked together.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" she suddenly roared and slammed her fists into the boys heads, knocking their heads together and sending them flying across the clearing.

They slammed into a tree and slowly slid down with dazed looks on their faces as the strange black energy received from Sasukes skin.

"Owww, what just happened?" groaned the Uchiha, "Why does my head hurt?"

He looked up and let out a yelp as he saw a furious looking Sakura marching towards the two boys.

"AH, whatever I did, I'm sorry!" he yelped.

"Y-yeah, I was just trying to stop Sasuke from doing something stupid!" said Naruto, looking equally scared.

"Thats no excuse," growled Sakura, cracking her knuckles, "We're supposed to be a team and that means NO FIGHTING!"

WHAM! CRUNCH!

" _This is the guy who Orochimaru's so scared of?"_ thought Dosu with a sweatdrop as he watched Sakura scold her teammates, _"Then again, that Chakra was far from normal. I thought that maybe Orochimaru had placed a Curse Mark on him from what the girl said, but that was not Orochimaru's Chakra. No matter, we should take this opportunity to leave."_

He stood and cleared his throat, drawing attention back to him.

"Your very strong Sasuke," he said, "Way to strong for me to beat on my own. Here."

He pulled out his scroll.

"Take this and let us go. Consider it a gift. However…"

Dosu released a bit of Killing Intent.

"The next time we meet, I'm going to break your neck."

He grabbed his teammates and Zaku's severed hands and leaped into the trees, leaving the Leaf-nin alone.

"What in the world happened while I was out?" asked Sasuke, looking confused.

 **And thats the end of that. It was fun writing it!**

 **So, Angela is actually a non evil Kaguya and has given Sasuke some of her Chakra. This does not mean he's going to be getting the Rinne Sharingan or any of her abilities any time soon because its replaced Orochimaru's Chakra in the Curse Mark, giving him a new power source. As you can see, its quite powerful but comes with a few drawbacks.**

 **The power is based on Meliodas Demon Form from Seven Deadly Sins, although its still only as powerful as a standard Curse Mark Level one, only with a few additional abilities.**

 **I'm probably gonna get some serious flack for this and I'm expecting a few incredulous reviews, all I ask is that you keep it clean. Still, any review is nice so please leave some! Ta ta!**


	16. Chapter 16

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

After my little blackout and apparent frenzy, Sakura filled me in on what happened while I was out and I was currently considering whether or not I should brain myself on a tree or throttle Angela next time I saw her for putting me in this situation. I'd rather not have something I can't control bubbling in my neck thank you very much. Still, better than Orochimaru I suppose.

* * *

After I was caught up and the other gathered teams had left to finish the test, leaving us to grab the Earth Scroll Dosu had left and took to the trees in the direction of the Tower.

"So Naruto, where did you get those clothes?" asked Sakura.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Naruto.

"Try me," said Sakura.

Naruto eyed out pink haired teammate for a moment, before he shrugged.

"Eh, why not," he said, "After I got blown away by that Jutsu, I found myself in a part of the forest that seemed a bit different than the rest of it…"

Sakura and I listened as Naruto filled us in on everything that had happened to him after we were separated.

"That sounds a bit hard to believe," said Sakura once he was done.

"I know, but thats what happened," said Naruto, "I just wonder who that Sheik guy was."

"I get the feeling that we'll be finding out soon enough," I said.

"Do you know something?" asked Sakura.

"Maybe," I said, "I've heard of the Hero of Legend before. There are a ton of stories about him if you know where to look, going right back to the supposed creation of the world and the battle between the Hero of the Sky and the Demon King Demise."

"Yeah, Sheik mentioned something about that," said Naruto, "Along with some really cool things I can do thanks to the Triforce."

"I wouldn't celebrate having that thing if I were you," I said.

"Why?"

"Because being branded with the Triforce means that your the latest incarnation of the Hero's Soul," I said, "That means that sooner or later you will have to clash with Ganon, the being who embodies the Rage of Demise. Going by what the stories tell, he'll find a way to kidnap or curse whoever it is who holds the Triforce of Wisdom, who also happens to be the Blood of the Goddess and you'll have to fight through his minions, collect a bunch of different magical items to open something and finally kill the bastard with the Master Sword."

"Ah," said Naruto, looking a bit nervous.

"I wouldn't worry though," I said, "You may be doomed to fight an insanely powerful, immortal Demon King, but at least you have us!"

I grinned and shot him a thumbs up.

"Lucky me," deadpanned Naruto.

"You two are idiots," deadpanned Sakura.

Naruto and I just flashed peace signs.

* * *

It didn't take us long to reach the Tower, moving at top speed as we were and not encountering any obstacles along the way. We landed in front of the tower and headed inside.

"There's no one here," said Naruto as we entered the hall.

"Whats that on the wall?" asked Sakura, pointing at the poem on the wall.

"Hey Naruto, get out the Scroll of Heaven," I said, taking the Earth Scroll out of my pouch.

"Um, OK," said Naruto, retrieving the requested scroll.

"OK, now we need to open them at the same time," I said, grabbing the scroll.

Naruto did as he was told and we opened the scrolls, which immediately started pumping out Chakra smoke.

"And drop em."

We tossed them away and they landed in a cross, before a massive explosion erupted, making us all tense slightly. A moment later, the smoke cleared to reveal Iruka.

"Yo, long time no see," said the Chunin.

"Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?" asked Naruto.

"At the end of the second part of the Chunin Exams, we Chunin greet the new potentials to welcome them to the tower," said Iruka, "It was dumb luck that I got you three. I have to admit though, I wasn't expecting you to get here with two day to spare."

"HEY!"

"Hehe, oh calm down Naruto," said Iruka with a grin, "You've all come a long way since you graduated and I'm proud of you all."

We all grinned at our old teacher, before those grins were wiped off our faces as an ANBU appeared next to Iruka.

"Sasuke Uchiha, the Hokage commands your presence," he said.

"I assume hes in the Tower since if I leave I'll be disqualified?" I asked.

"Correct."

"Lead the way."

The Anbu nodded and another masked Nin appeared behind me and Body Flickered me away. We reappeared in an office higher up the Tower where the Hokage, Anko and at least four more ANBU were waiting. The ANBU were hidden, naturally, but the other two were staring at me worriedly.

"Did he mark you?" demanded Anko without preamble.

I didn't answer, instead I pulled down my collar to reveal the Curse Seal. Anko immediately started cursing up a storm and the Hokage looked like he'd aged ten years in ten seconds.

"Sasuke, do you know what that is?" asked the Hokage.

"A Curse Mark applied by Orochimaru to bring people he wants under his control," I said.

"You've been reading my notes, haven't you," said Anko.

"Yep."

"Well, that'll save some time," said the Hokage, "Sasuke, we need to seal it to make sure it doesn't affect you."

I nodded. While it might not be linking me to Orochimaru and I did trust Angela, the fact remains that that trust had been shaken by the reveal that she was Kaguya. I believed her when she said she wasn't out to destroy the world, but that didn't mean I was comfortable with the idea of a power I couldn't control inside me. The seal would allow me time to get my head on straight and hopefully figure out a way to control the Seals power.

"Good, in that case, Kakashi will perform the sealing now so you have plenty of time to recover," said the Hokage, "Anko…"

"This way Brat," said Anko, leading me out of the room.

* * *

The floor below the office the Hokage was using was mostly empty, a large room with a ceiling held up with pillars. In the middle of the room was Kakashi putting the finishing touches to the Sealing Array.

"Ah, there you are," he said, "Come on, lets get this done."

I nodded and took my shirt off, studiously ignoring Anko's wolf whistle, despite the seriousness of the situation, and sat in the center of the circle. I won't go into detail of the sealing, but I can safely say that it didn't hurt as much as I was expecting. Oh sure it hurt, but I didn't pass out once it was over.

"Huh, thats interesting," said Kakashi.

"Whats interesting?" I asked.

"The Curse Seal's changed," he said.

"What?"

My Sensei handed me a mirror which allowed me to see the Curse Seal. Sure enough, the three tomoe shaped seal had indeed changed into something that made me want to brain myself. Now I remembered why Sakura's description of what happened to me while under Kaguya's Curse Mark's effects was so familiar! They were the same Darkness powers the Demon Clan used in Seven Deadly Sins and now the Curse Mark had changed to look the part. It was now the Demon Clan's symbol. I REALLY hope that doesn't mean that we'll have to actually deal with the Demon Clan at some point.

"Anyway, we're done, so you can go," said Kakashi, "Remember, the seal is only as strong as your will, so if you falter, it could fail."

"I understand," I said, putting my shirt back on.

"Remember, you're not allowed to leave until the Second Test ends," said Kakashi, "If you need anything, ask one of the Chunin in the tower and they'll get it for you."

I nodded and left the room, heading back downstairs to the room we'd been assigned where I found Naruto and Sakura laid out on the beds, fast asleep. Apparently, the stress of the test had finally got to them and they'd crashed without even being able to get changed. I smiled and took off my teammates weapons, pouches, shoes and gloves, before putting them in bed and covering them. I'd slept enough, but they needed their rest to be at their best come the Prelims.

* * *

Speaking of, the remaining two days between our arrival and the final day passed by quickly and before we knew it, everyone was gathered in the great hall following the end of the exam. Everyone was there as expected with no surprises. I mostly tuned out the Hokages speech about the true meaning of the Exams and all that in favor of eyeing Kabuto's teammates. If all went as I expected, I'd be fighting one of them in the Prelims, but something was wrong. They weren't the two purple clan Nin I was expecting, instead they were both wearing identical black cloaks that hid them from head to toe, had masks covering their faces under their hoods and gloves hiding their hands. Not only were they completely covered in their garments, but they were giving off a constant low level KI that set my teeth on edge and, most worryingly, I couldn't sense them. At all. I also couldn't help but notice that Akamaru and Shino both seemed on edge and kept shooting them looks.

* * *

I was broken from my musing by the arrival of Hayate and Kabuto dropping out.

"Are you sure about this?" asked one of the cloaked Nin.

I stiffened. There was no way that that voice belonged to a human. It was smooth, like oiled glass, with an underlying hiss that made my scalp prickle and sent a shiver up my spine.

"I'm afraid I have no choice," said Kabuto, "I've still not fully recovered from that fight with the Sound Nin."

He started walking off, pausing for a moment beside his teammates, before leaving the room.

"Anyone else want to quit?" asked Hayate.

There was silence for a moment.

"In that case, lets begin. These Preliminaries will be the same as the Third Test, a no hold barred fight to till one participant either can't continue or dies. As Proctor, I can step in and stop the battle, but don't count on it, so be smart. The thing deciding your destiny for these fights is…"

A portion of the wall opened to reveal a monitor that begin to flash through the names of all the participants, before it stopped. Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado.

"Alright, will all those not involved in this match please head up to the balconies," said Hayate.

Yoroi and I remained where we were as everyone else headed up to the balcony. I narrowed my eyes at the cloaked Ninja, still not able to shake the feeling that this guy wasn't normal.

"Begin!" said Hayate, leaping out of the way.

"Kehehe, this is going to be fun," hissed Yoroi, reaching under his cloak.

I narrowed my eyes as he slowly drew a sword from the depths of the cloak. It was a jagged, cruel thing that seemed to be coated in something if the glimmering film I could see was anything to go by. I resolved not to let that blade anywhere near me. Yoroi dropped into a crouch that I'd call unnatural for a Human, before he suddenly pushed off and shot towards me at incredible speed. I activated my Sharingan and ducked under his strike, using a hand spring to get out of the way of the follow up kick that cracked the ground as it hit.

" _He's strong,"_ I thought, eyeing the damaged floor, _"Especially since that attack wasn't augmented with Chakra."_

I reached into my pouch and drew a couple of Shuriken, sending the throwing stars flying towards my opponent, watching as he easily evaded them with a bend that would make Orochimaru proud. I landed lightly, only to be forced to bend over backwards to avoid the vicious blade as Yoroi pounced at me.

"Got you," hissed the other Ninja as my dodge put my face directly in front of his.

Before I could react, he breathed out and I was hit by a foul stench that smelt a lot like rotting meat. I gagged and flipped away from Yoroi, coughing to rid my airways of the stench.

"The hell was that?" I muttered as I moved to grab another Shuriken.

Before I could though, my body suddenly stiffened up and my vision blurred.

"The hell? Genjutsu?" I muttered, flaring my Chakra, which did nothing, "No, poison."

"Kehehe, this is over!" said Yoroi with glee, charging at me with his sword held at the ready.

His sword sliced through me with ease, slicing me into two pieces. A moment later, my body dissolved into water.

"What the..!" gasped Yoroi as the water clone splashed over him, "But how…?"

"Heh, I live with the Snake Mistress," I said from my perch on top of the ram statue, "You really think I haven't developed an impressive resistance to poisons of all types?"

"But thats impossible!" protested Yoroi.

"To bad, so sad," I said with a grin as I placed my hands in a snake seal, "Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"

I inhaled and spat out a huge volume of water that surged into the arena and slammed into Yoroi, knocking him off his feet and slamming him into the wall next to the door.

"And now for something new," I said with a grin, "I was kinda hoping to save this for the finals, but if you're what I think you are, I can't let you live. Ice Style: North Wind Flash Freeze!"

I blew out a breath that was visible as an ice cold mist. The instant it touched the water, it froze solid, quickly spreading over the flooded arena. Yoroi was quick enough to jump out of the way before the ice reached him, but the trailing hem of his cloak was caught in the ice as the last bit of water froze, tearing off the covering. Immediately, everyone recoiled as they saw what was hidden underneath. Black exoskeleton, a viciously sharp and serrated beak, massive, lidless eyes and digitized legs. I was right when I deduced that he wasn't human and it turned out that my suspicions were correct. Incredible speed and strength, even without Chakra enhancements, foul breath that paralyzed my body and the fact I couldn't sense him with my mental powers all pointed to one conclusion. Ra'zac!

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

 **Hehehe, well, that was fun, and I got to pull out a To be Continued like the Anime. So, Orochimaru has Ra'Zac working for him. That can't be good. Its a good thing that ninja are a different kettle of fish to Magicians.**

 **For those who don't know, Ra'zac are creatures who prey on Humans. They have superhuman strength, speed and agility, as well as a foul breath that weakens Humans and can't be sensed by Mental Powers. They are the larval form of a rather unpleasant creature called Lethrblaka.**

 **Just to be clear, Sasuke's Curse Mark has been completely changed by Kaguya's Chakra. Its still not really something he should be using to often, but its nowhere near as bad as Orochimaru's. Speaking of, I don't have any plans to add Seven Deadly Sins at this time, but this is an Outsider Chronicles, so its possible I will in the future**

 **Next time, the conclusion of the fight and I get to play around with some Ice techniques. Hehehe, I can't wait! Please leave a review!**


	17. Chapter 17

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

The newly revealed Ra'zac slowly got to its feet, its clawed feet allowing it to easily keep its balance on the ice.

"So, I was right," I said, "I thought there was something wrong with you. I never would have guessed that you were a Ra'zac."

"So you've heard of us," hissed Yoroi, flicking his forked tongue.

"I have," I said, "Unfortunately, while you may be damn near perfect hunters against normal Humans and Mages, going up against a Ninja is a very different."

"Kehehe, I am aware of that," said Yoroi, "But the fight makes the prey taste so much sweeter!"

It dug its claws into the ice and bounded forwards, now not even trying to hide its unsettling gate as it barreled towards me.

"Nope, not happening," I said, flipping through a set of signs, "Ice Style: House of Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

The ice shifted and erupted, forming into mirrors scattered around the field, one of them nearly slicing the Ra'zac in half as it emerged, but the creature managed to stop before that happened.

"Mirrors? What are these supposed to do?" he asked.

"This," I said, pulling a flash bomb out of my pouch.

I threw the explosive into the arena, the resulting flash amplified by the ice covering the floor and the mirrors. The Ra'zac let out a horrible shriek, clutching at its eyes.

"Y-you bastard!" it shrieked, "I can't see!"

"That was the general idea!" I said as I started a long sequence of hand signs, "Now you're disoriented, I have plenty of time to finish this! Ice Style: Devouring Fang of the North!"

I clasped my hands in a Dragon Seal and the ice mirrors around the arena began to shake and come apart into countless ice shards that swirled up and around me, slowly flowing together into a large, serpentine form. Once the last of the shards melded into the swirling river of ice, it seemed to split, before two massive wings opened and the dragon let out a roar that shook the arena, its eyes lighting up red. I grinned.

"Time to end this," I said.

The dragon roared again and surged forwards, barrelling down on the Ra'zac that had only just managed to clear its vision. Seems not having eyelids is more of a weakness than one might think. It looked up, just in time to see my construct open its jaws to devour it.

"Oh…"

KABOOOOOCRACCKKK!

The dragon slammed into the Ra'zac and exploded, crushing it and freezing it solid as well as turning into a massive forest of ice spikes that would have impaled it had it managed to dodge the attack. The ice slowly cracked and broke apart, falling to the ground with a sound not unlike falling glass, before it shattered completely, turning into a shower of tiny ice fragments, leaving nothing but a slightly cracked stretch of frozen floor.

"Er, Sasuke Uchiha is the winner," said Hayate.

I sighed and dropped my hands from the seal I held and dropped of the Ram statue. As soon as I hit the ground, the ice glowed and shattered as I walked over to the staircase up to the balcony.

"Was it really necessary to kill him?" asked Kakashi as I reached the rest of my team.

"Yes," I said shortly, "Ra'zac are monsters, plain and simple."

"What exactly are they?" asked Sakura.

I let out a sigh and slumped down on the railing as the next match, Shino vs Zaku, was called.

"I don't know much about them since they're not native to the Elemental Nations," I said, "Angela told me about them though. They are creatures that prey on Humans, at least in their larval stage. After 20 years, on the first full moon, the mature into a monster that hunts all things that walk and fly. I'm willing to bet that a lot of the people who've gone missing in the village and were never found was thanks to him and any of his friends that may be skulking around."

I tilted my head in the direction of the other disguised Sound-nin.

"Hmm, I see," said Kakashi, "I think we should clean house then."

I nodded.

"So when did you become so good with ice?" asked Naruto, "I thought it was giving you trouble?"

"It was," I said, glad for the change of topic, "But I figured out what the problem was. I'm not skilled enough to create Ice from the moisture in the air like Haku can. I need a source of water, or better yet, ice, in order to pull of my more powerful techniques."

"I noticed that your techniques are very similar to some Water Style Jutsu I know," said Kakashi.

"Well, I had to create most of them from scratch," I said, "I used Water Style Jutsu as a base and just modified them with Ice Chakra."

"Thats pretty impressive," said Kakashi, "But it looks like they can be pretty Chakra intensive."

"They are," I said, "But I'm working on improving them."

There was a loud splat as Zaku's arms exploded. The fight had gone exactly as I remembered from canon. The next fight was between Kankuro and Misumi, the other cloaked nin who quickly revealed himself to be another Ra'zac. It didn't do him any good though as he tried to kill the Puppet User by tearing his throat out, only to fall prey to the Puppet, which showed an impressive amount of strength by crushing him.

* * *

The next fight between Sakura and Ino was interesting because neither of the two girls were as weak as their counterparts, however, that didn't change the outcome and they managed to knock each other out after Sakura blew all her Chakra on Jutsu trying to hit Ino, who had apparently been well trained in evasion the final blow knocked the pair of them out after spending half an hour exhausting themselves to the point where they couldn't even walk straight. Matches five and six went exactly the same as I remembered and then the match between Naruto and Kiba rolled around.

"YAHOO, we got this in the bag!" crowed Kiba as he and Akamaru hopped down into the arena.

"Don't underestimate me Dog breath," said Naruto, drawing his sword and shield, "I've come a long way since the Academy."

"Ha, thats likely," sneered Kiba, "And what are you wearing? You look even more like an idiot than when you wore that orange monstrosity."

Naruto just narrowed his eyes and took a stance.

"OK, let the seventh match begin!" shouted Hayate.

"YAHOO, lets get started!" shouted Kiba, crouching down with his hands in a seal, "Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry!"

Chakra started radiating off him as his features rapidly became more feral.

"HERE I COME!" he shouted, charging at Naruto.

The green clad Hero dropped his shield, easily blocking the attack.

"What the..?" gasped Kiba.

"I told you, don't underestimate me!" shouted Naruto, shoving Kiba away and attacking with his sword.

Kiba ducked out of the way and hopped back, but not before the tip of his sword scored a cut across his cheek. Kiba pressed a hand to his now bleeding cut and stared at his bloody palm.

"You cut me…" he said, "YOU CAN'T CUT ME, YOUR DEAD LAST! I'M THROUGH HOLDING BACK!"

He reached into his pouch and pulled out some Smoke Bombs and a food pill. He flicked the latter to his dog, who snapped it up and turned red and much more feral

"LETS GET HIM AKAMARU! MAN BEAST CLONE!"

Akamaru transformed into another Kiba as his master threw the bombs, creating a cloud of smoke over Naruto as he and his Ninken charged towards Naruto. In the cloud, Naruto narrowed his eyes and reached into his pouch.

"Take this!" shouted Kiba as he and Akamaru leaped into the air and started spinning, "FANG PASSING FANG!"

They started spinning and shot towards the smoke cloud. Before they could hit it though, the smoke was suddenly sucked into a tornado as something came spinning out of the smoke and slammed into one of the Kiba's, sucking him into a the vortex it was creating and throwing him across the field. The Kiba hit the wall and switched back to Akamaru

"What the hell was that?" gasped Kiba, eyes wide as he stared back at the object that had just sent his dog flying as it spun back to Naruto.

Naruto caught the weapon, revealing that it was a boomerang made of white wood carved to resemble wings.

"So what do you think?" asked the Hero, "My Gale Boomerang came with the new look and I've got a whole pouch worth of cool stuff. Like this for example!"

He swung his other hand down, somehow pulling a massive ball and chain out of his pouch and sending the massive weapon rocketing towards Kiba. The Inuzuka let out a yelp and dove out of the way, just in time to evade the huge metal ball.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" shrieked Kiba when he saw the massive crater the weapon had made.

Naruto just grinned and reeled in his ball and chain, somehow replacing it in his pouch and drawing out a bow instead.

"Oh crap," said Kiba, before he was forced to dodge out of the way of a barrage of arrows from Naruto's bow.

"Where did he get those new weapons?" asked Sakura.

"Hmm, I bet they came with his new togs," I said.

"Still think I'm a weakling?" asked Naruto as he knocked another five arrows to his bowstring.

"Why you little…" growled Kiba, flipping out of the way of the arrows, "I don't care how much you've improved, your still Dead Last to me!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and dropped his bow, which vanished in a puff of smoke.

"I'll show you dead last!" he shouted, drawing his sword again and charging at Kiba.

"No you idiot, don't get close!" shouted Sakura.

"Wait, I think he's got a plan," I said, "Or I hope so at least…"

As Naruto closed in on Kiba, the Triforce symbol on the back of his hand lit up.

"HEYA!" he shouted as he moved into a spin, spiralling rapidly.

The spin quickly began to increase, the glow from the Triforce spreading down the blade of his sword and turning the attack into a spinning blade of light.

"GREAT LIGHT SPIN!" shouted Naruto.

"Ohhhh crap!" shouted Kiba, unable to dodge the attack, still off balance from dodging the arrows.

Fortunately, Naruto had tilted his sword so that the edge hit Kiba instead of the edge, but the impact still sent the dog user flying with a crunch. He hit the ground hard and slid a few feet, before coming to a stop on his back. Before he could get up, Naruto leaped forwards and landed over Kiba, his sword aimed at his throat.

"Give up Kiba," he said, "I don't want to hurt my comrade any more."

Kiba gritted his teeth and looked like he was going to try and continue the fight, but Naruto twitched his sword, making a slight nick in Kiba's neck. Kiba gulped as a small trickle of blood ran down his neck.

"I give," he said, not looking pleased.

Hayate nodded and called the match.

"Well, that was impressive," I said as Naruto returned to the balcony.

"Heh, thanks," said Naruto, "I've admit that I have no idea how I pulled that last attack off, but it worked."

"Guys, look at whos next," said Sakura.

Neji vs Hinata. I narrowed my eyes and gripped the railing tighter. Hinata might be much more confident in this reality, but I knew she wasn't good enough to beat the Rookie of the Year.

"I never thought I'd be fighting you, Lady Hinata," said Neji.

"Neji-nii," she said.

"This could be messy," I said, "Head family vs Branch, especially when Neji holds a rather nasty grudge towards the main family."

"Huh?" said Naruto.

I ignored Kakashi as he explained the Hyuuga's clan system.

"Begin," said Hayate.

"Before we begin, let me say this," said Neji, "You should quit. You are poorly suited as a Ninja. You are far too kind and dislike conflict."

"You are correct," said Hinata, cutting her cousin off.

"What?" said Neji, looking surprised.

"I don't like conflict," she said, "But that doesn't mean I can't fight. You really shouldn't underestimate me. I've changed. I'm not the same weak little girl I used to be."

"Peh, nonsense," he sneered, "People can't change themselves. Fate cannot be changed, no matter how much you may wish it to be. Losers will always be losers."

"You're wrong Neji," said Hinata, "I have changed. Let me show you."

She dropped into a Gentle Fist stance and activated her Byakugan.

"Let me show you, my resolve!"

She charged. Neji looked surprised for a moment, before his face melted back into a sneer.

"Pathetic," he said, "I'll show you the truth."

He activated his own eyes and met Hinata's charge. The fight appeared even, but I could tell that Hinata was simply outclassed in terms of skill in the Clan Taijutsu. The clash ended when Neji slammed a palm into Hinata's chest, sending the girl skidding back a few feet. She fell to one knee and coughed, spitting up a small amount of blood.

"I knew it, I don't stand a chance against you," said Hinata, "I knew it from the start. You are simply better than me at the Gentle Fist."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Then why did you even try?" he asked, "You should just give up. It is your fate to lose here. You are weak and you always will be."

Hinata ignored her cousin as she pushed herself to her feet and wiped the blood from her lips.

"I guess I have no choice," she said, lifting her hands and placing them in a Ram seal.

I narrowed my eyes as I felt Hinata's Chakra spike. No, it wasn't her Chakra. It was something else. My eyes quickly zeroed in on her left hand as the back of it began to glow gold.

"Ah, so thats it," I said.

"Hmm? Whats it?" asked Kakashi.

"This match just got interesting," I said with a grin.

"Get ready Neji," said Hinata, opening her eyes, "This is where I stop holding back. Transform!"

The back of her hand shone brightly, covering her in light that shattered to reveal that her outfit had changed to a very familiar set of Ninja gear.

"I may not be able to match you as a Hyuuga," said Hinata, pulling down her mask, "But as a Sheikah its a whole other story!"

 **And we're done. Next time, Sheik Hinata vs Neji. Should be interesting.**

 **I hope you liked the remainder of Sasukes fight and the others I showed. I probably should have included Sakura's, but I honestly don't care enough to do so.**

 **Sasuke's Devouring Fang of the North looks like Hyorinmaru's true form from Bleach.**

 **Its currently 2am here, which is the main reason this chapter may seem a little rushed, but I just want to get it over with. Hopefully the next one will be better. Until then, leave me a review.**


	18. Chapter 18

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

Neji stared at his cousin for a moment, before he sneered and shook his head.

"Peh, you really think a mere transformation will help you?" he asked, "Don't make me laugh."

Hinata gave a smirk.

"Don't be so sure," she said, drawing her harp, "You're right that the transformation itself is largely pointless, but you'd be surprised what a psychological advantage can be."

She placed her fingers on the strings of the harp and I immediately felt a surge of energy. Neji's eyes snapped up and he leaped back as she plucked a string and a spike of rock shot out of the ground under him.

"What was that?" he asked.

Hinata plucked her harp again and another rock shot out of the ground, nearly spearing Neji had he not jumped out of the way.

"Thats not Jutsu," growled Neji as he began to jump around the rock spires that were now shooting out of the earth in time with Hinata's playing, "What is it?"

"If you're expecting an explanation, don't," said Hinata, "All I'll say is that this is a power long lost to history."

* * *

"Its the Goddess Harp," I said, "A Magical artifact from of Hyrule that allows the user to manipulate the elements using the music played on the harp."

"You know a lot of interesting stuff, don't you Sasuke?" asked Kakashi.

"I do," I said, "Like this for example. In order to use the Harp to its fullest, one needs to have the blood of the Goddess. In other words, the blood of the Hyrule Royal Family."

"Really?" said Sakura, "So does she?"

"Well, since Hyrule existed so long ago its impossible to know," I said, "However, the fact that the Sheikah took her under there wing is a pretty strong indicator. Although I am surprised they're still around to be honest since they've nearly been wiped out more times than any other Clan."

I noticed Kurenai smirk slightly out of the corner of my eye. Well thats interesting, maybe the Shadows are closer than I thought. I turned back to the fight as Hinata stepped up her playing, adding fireballs and water spouts to the mix, forcing Neji to dance around the field to avoid them.

"Thats really quite impressive," I said, "If she can keep Neji at a distance, she might be able to win this."

"Hmm? You really think so?" asked Lee.

"Its the weakness of the Hyuuga Clan in general," I said, "They aren't really meant for long ranged combat. Getting in close is suicide, but attacking from a range can be very effective. The main problem is getting past there Byakugan and acute reflexes. However, in this case, Hinata's attacks aren't Chakra based, so the Gentle Fist can't break them apart easily."

"So basically, Hinata has this in the bag," said Naruto.

"Not necessarily," I said, narrowing my eyes at Hinata as I activated my Sharingan, "Those techniques may not need Chakra, but they still use energy."

"What sort of energy?"

"Well, you know how Chakra is made up of Physical and Spiritual Energy?" I said, "Well, those techniques use half of that energy, specifically the mental half, which is also referred to as Mana. Its similar to how my Gramarye uses physical energy. Once she runs out of Mana, she won't be able to use any more Magic or Chakra since half of what she needs to produce it will be gone. Mana regenerates a lot quicker than Physical Energy, but she won't have enough time to get it back before Neji closes the distance."

"How in the world do you learn this stuff?" asked Sakura, looking impressed.

"Angela," I said, "She's quite knowledgeable about all sorts of subjects."

"Of course," muttered Sakura, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Down on the arena floor, the battle had calmed somewhat, with both combatants having paused to take a rest. Hinata was still crouched on the statue in the same place as I'd spent my fight. She was panting and I could see that her fingers were starting to look a bit battered from the rapid playing she'd had to do to keep Neji at a range. It was also clear that she was starting to flag a little. Neji on the other hand was just a little out of breath from all the jumping around he'd been doing to evade Hinata's attacks.

"So, still think I'm weak?" said Hinata.

"I admit, you are better than I thought," said Neji, "But that changes nothing. You are fated to be weak and you will always be weak. Nothing can change that!"

He activated his Byakugan and charged, dodging around Hinata's rapid fire attacks with incredible speed.

"I have you now!" shouted Neji as he leaped at Hinata.

Hinata narrowed her eyes and plucked at her harp...but nothing happened.

"No, I'm out of Mana!" she gasped, "I was so focused on keeping him away I forgot to moniter my reserves!"

"And that right there is the problem with using Mana," I said, "Since it has no affect on your body, you have to maintain a constant awareness of your reserves or you end up running out at the worst possible time. There's a reason why Mages, especially inexperienced ones, tend to work in groups."

Hinata leaped out of the way of Neji's attack, but not before he managed to tag her ankle. Hinata landed and stumbled as her leg went out from under her.

"Its over!" shouted Neji as he bore down on Hinata.

The younger Hyuuga reacted, matching Neji blow for blow, but it was clear that she was on the defencive, trying to put some distance between them so she could use her Harp again. However, Neji didn't seem willing to let her get away from him again and was making sure to hit every one of her tenketsu he could reach. Finally, he slammed his palm into Hinata's chest, making her gasp and cough up blood. He stepped back as Hinata fell to her knees, then onto her front as her transformation vanished.

"There, you lost," sneered Neji, "Just as Fate decreed. Proctor, all the match."

He turned on his heel and started marching towards the steps.

"HEY, DON'T YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON HER!" shouted Naruto, "SHES NOT DONE YET!"

"Shut up idiot!" shouted Ino, "Can't you see shes…"

The blond trailed off as Hinata slowly pushed herself to her feet.

"I'm...not...done yet," she gasped, "Not when Naruto is watching. I won't give up, I'll never give up!"

"Peh, can't you see its pointless," sneered Neji, "You can't change your destiny. You may wish to, burdened with the responsibility of being the Main Family's heir as you are."

"Your wrong Neji," she said, "I'm not burdened. The one carrying the burden...is you."

Neji's eyes widened, before he snarled.

"You little…" he growled, "I'll show you!"

He charged, his hand glowing with Chakra.

"Damn, hes gonna kill her!" I gasped, throwing out my arm, "Letta Neji!"

I felt my power surge up and out, wrapping around Neji like invisible chains and stopping him in his tracks, an inch from hitting Hinata as all the Sensei appeared to stop him.

"Thats enough Neji, you win," said Guy as he restrained his student.

"Hn," said Neji as the Jonin let him go.

He tried to move, only to find that his body was completely paralyzed.

"What the hell?" he gasped, "Why can't I move?"

"That would be my doing," I said as I hopped over the railing, "Consider it a warning. I can paralyze your entire body, but it only takes a bit more focus to focus it on your internal organs. Try to hurt my friends again…"

I glared at him with my Sharingan active.

"And I'll show you what I can really do with my power."

I waved a hand and released the spell, making Neji stumble slightly. Neji shot a glare at me and turned away. At the same time, Hinata suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed.

"HINATA!" shouted Naruto, leaping over the balcony.

I ignored Naruto and the Jonin as I rushed to Hinata and activated the Mystical Palm Jutsu.

"Damn, her hearts damaged," I muttered, "She's about to go into Cardiac Arrest!"

I deactivated my Jutsu and pressed my palms onto her chest.

"Hjarta heill!" I said and gritted my teeth as I felt my energy flow through my arms and into Hinata, "Damn, I don't think I have enough energy to fix the damage completely."

I held the spell for a few more seconds before I was forced to release it, falling back on my ass with a gasp.

"Is she OK?" asked Kurenai from next to me, making me jump, "You just healed her, right?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, mostly," I said, "I've fixed most of the damage, but shes not completely out of the woods yet."

Kurenai nodded and indicated to the paramedics who were stood nearby, who quickly shifted Hinata onto a stretcher and ran out of the room.

"I promise you…" said Naruto, making me tilt my head to see my teammate stood glaring at Neji, "I'm going to destroy you in the finals!"

Neji just scoffed and headed back up to the balcony.

"Let it go Naruto," I said before the blond could blow up.

"Ahem, now that thats over, would everyone please vacate the arena?" said Hayate.

We all did as we were told as the screen activated again, this time landing on Lee and Ilia I watched the Sand-nin as she went down into the arena. There was something about her that was bothering me. She didn't seem like the Gaara I remembered, cold and harsh from being betrayed over and over until he simply gave up on others and started killing to feel alive. Ilia didn't feel like that. I could feel a bloodlust leaking off her, but it didn't feel like her, as if it was coming from another source.

* * *

The first part of the battle went as I expected, with Lee trying to get past Ilia's Sand and failing, before he removed his weights and sped up, allowing him to get through the Ultimate Defence. As soon as the attack hit, I felt something change. The Killing Intent cranked up to eleven and I felt something awaken within Ilia. The girl stiffened, fear clear in her eyes, before letting out a scream and grasping at her head.

""N-no, I can't," she gasped, "I-I don't want to...no, I can't, no more, please!"

I narrowed my eyes. That was unexpected. It looks like she wasn't killing out of choice.

"Nonononono," gasped Ilia, shaking hard enough that it was visible, digging her fingers into her head.

"Whats going on?" asked Naruto, "Whats wrong with her?"

"Thats not good," I muttered, "I think Lee might be in trouble."

Slowly, Ilia's protests slowed and she went limp, her arms hanging limp. Then, she looked up, revealing blank eyes.

"I understand, Mother," she said in a perfectly flat voice, "Blood, I will give you blood."

Lees eyes widened and he dove to the side to avoid a blast of sand.

"What the hell?" said Sakura, "Its like shes a completely different person."

I ignored my teammates question in favor of reaching out with my mind towards the Shukaku jinchuuriki. Normally I wouldn't do anything as stupid as this, but my curiosity got the better of me. I hesitantly touched Ilia's mind, ready to back up at a moment's notice should I meet something big, furry and angry.

" **HELP ME!"**

The force of the mental yell was so great it slammed me out of Ilia's mind and sent me flying back to land on my ass.

"Sasuke, are you OK?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, but she isn't," I said, pushing myself to my feet, "I don't know how, but somehow shes being suppressed and controlled by something."

"You mean like a split personality?" asked Sakura.

"Maybe, but I think there's more to it than that. What I do know however is that whatever's currently in control is not Ilia."

* * *

After her minor break down and the reveal that Ilia may be suffering from split personality disorder, the fight continued to go identically to how I remembered and I readied myself to interfere when Ilia inevitably snagged him after the use of the Reverse Lotus. I didn't want to see Lee get crippled before I had chance to fight him all out.

" _Now!"_ I thought as I leaped over the balcony, drawing my swords as I went.

I landed in front of Lee and slammed the blades into the sand, dispersing it.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, "This fight is over."

"W-wait S-sasuke," gasped Lee, "I can still fight…"

"No Lee, if this continues, you'll be hurt beyond saving," I said, "Even now it'll take some serious skill to fix the damage caused by opening the Gates."

"But I…"

"Sasuke's right Lee," said Guy as he joined me, "I hate to say it, but this battle is over."

Hayate nodded and called the match.

"But why…?" asked Ilia as Guy picked up Lee and started carrying him over to where the medics were waiting, "He failed."

"Because hes my friend," I said, "Thats all there is to it."

Ilia stared at me for a moment, before she turned on her heel and marched back up the stairs.

"Sasuke…" said Lee.

"Lee, I know you probably don't appreciate me interrupting your fight, but I still want to fight you," I said, cutting him off, "Our last fight was constrained by time. I want to face you head on and we can't do that if you're crippled."

Lee stared at me, before he grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"Very well, I look forwards to that day!" he said.

I grinned and returned to the balcony as Hayate called down the last two combatants, Choji and Dosu. The fight was as underwhelming as I remembered and the winners all gathered in the arena.

"Congratulations to you all for making it this far," said the Hokage, "As I mentioned before, the finals will be watched by a number of high ranking dignitaries. As such, we need time to get everyone here and ready. Because of this, the finals will happen one month from today. You should use this time to train and master new Jutsu."

"Before we let you go, all of you need to draw a number from this," said Anko, holding up a box, "The numbers will determine who fights who."

We all did as we were told.

"I got 8," said Dosu.

"One," said Naruto.

"7," said Tamari.

"5," said Kankuro.

"3," said Ilia.

"4," I said.

"9," Shikamaru.

"2," Neji.

And finally,

"6," Shino.

"Excellent, now we will show you the match ups," said the Hokage as Ibiki held up a piece of paper with the brackets on it.

They were the same as the Anime, no surprises there. I tuned Shikamaru's question as I turned my mind to what I'd be doing over the next month. Heh, I can't wait.

 **And I'm done. I hope you liked this chapter and the fights I showed. Next time, the month begins and Sasuke gains a Summoning Contract. I think I'm gonna have some fun with this.**

 **Hjarta heill means heart heal and is a healing spell meant to target damage to the heart. Its more energy intensive than other healing spells because it needs to work quickly and provide the energy needed to restart the heart.**

 **And I'm gonna sign out now. See ya next time!**


	19. Chapter 19

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

I let out a groan as I flopped down my bed with a groan.

"Oh man, I've missed this," I said, rubbing my face into my pillow.

"Don't get too comfortable," said Anko, who was leaning against the door of my room, "You've got a month before the Finals and you should be training."

"Yeah, I know," I said, "But I can take a day off, can't I?"

Anko gave me a look.

"Yeah, OK, I'm going," I said, pushing myself off my bed.

"Oh by the way, this arrived for you a few days ago," said Anko, pulling a scroll out of her pouch and tossing it to me.

"Thanks," I said, catching the scroll and unrolling it.

On the scroll was a sealing matrix and a short note.

 _I think you can get some use out of this. Use the power within well. Angela._

I blinked and placed my hand on the seal, channelling my Chakra into it to release its content. There was a puff of smoke and a huge scroll appeared on my bed. It was black with gold ends and the kanji for rabbit written on it.

"Thats a Summoning Contract!" gasped Anko, "But I don't recognise it."

"Rabbit," I said, sweat dropping, "It says rabbit on it...Is she serious?"

"I wouldn't be so dismissive," said Anko, "Summons can be dangerous, even if they don't seem it. Even something like rabbits could potentially be really powerful."

"Good point," I said, "And if Angela left this for me…"

I unrolled the scroll to reveal that it was completely blank.

"I really hope I don't regret this," I muttered as I bit my thumb.

"You know how to do this right?" asked Anko.

"Sign my name in blood then leave my fingerprints below it, right?"

"Thats right."

I nodded and signed my name, before rolling up the scroll and returning it to the seal.

"We probably ought to go to a training ground before we try summoning," said Anko.

"Good idea," I said.

* * *

We headed to TG7 where Anko showed me the signs needed for the Summoning Jutsu.

"Alright, lets give this a try," I said, "Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram, Summoning Jutsu!"

I bit my thumb and slammed my palm into the ground. There was a puff of smoke, which cleared to reveal...a small, white rabbit. I deadpanned.

"You didn't use enough Chakra," said Anko, "Not surprising, no one ever uses enough Chakra first time around."

"Hey, where the hell am I?" said the rabbit suddenly in a surprisingly deep voice.

"Wait, you can talk?" I asked in surprise.

"Of course I can talk!" said the rabbit, "Now who are you Human?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," I said, "I signed the Rabbit Contract."

"What? You did?" said the rabbit, looking surprised, "But that contract's in the hands of Lady Kaguya. If you've signed it, that must means you must have really impressed her."

"I guess I did," I said.

"Hmm, I don't see whats so impressive about you, but I guess Lady Kaguya knows best," said the Rabbit, "I guess I should head back and let Lord Gabrial know we have a new Summoner. Once I go, wait five minutes then try it again."

"Got it," I said as the rabbit disappeared.

"Well, that was unexpected," said Anko, "Then again, I don't really know what to expect since no one has ever even heard of a Rabbit Summoning Contract before."

I just grunted as I learnt against a tree to wait.

* * *

Five minutes later, I moved back into the middle of the field.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

I felt a massive drain on my Chakra as a massive cloud of smoke erupted from under my hand, easily filling the entire training field. I blinked as I realized that I was suddenly much higher in the air than I had been, before two massive pinkish white ears with golden rings around the base emerged from the smoke on either side of me.

"What the hell!" I gasped as the smoke began to clear, revealing a massive pinkish white rabbit-like creature with a spiky collar around its neck and three small horns on its forehead.

" **Hmm, ah, there you are,"** said the giant rabbit, looking up at me.

He shifted and tilted his head down, making me slip of my perch before I could anchor myself.

"Whoa, what the hell!" I yelped as I fell.

Before I could fall too far, the rabbit caught me in one of its massive paws.

" **Greetings Sasuke Uchiha, I am Gabriel, the Boss Summon of the Rabbit,"** said the Rabbit Boss, **"Lady Kaguya sent a message informing me that you may be summoning me soon. Its an honour to meet you."**

"Err, likewise I guess," I said, "So exactly what do we do now? Do I need to pass some test or something?"

" **Normally yes, but since Lady Kaguya believed you were worthy to be our first Summoner, I think we can skip that step,"** said Gabriel, **"However, if you want to use our power to its fullest, you will need to come back to our Summoning Realm and learn from us."**

I blinked, before grinning widely.

"OH HELLS YEAH!" I said, "That sounds like fun!"

I looked over Gabriel's palm at where Anko was staring up at the big bunny in awe.

"Hey Anko, can you let the Hokage know I'm going to the Rabbit Summoning Realm?" I shouted.

"Are you sure thats a good idea?" asked Anko.

"Why not?"

"Point taken. Alright, I'll let him know. Have fun!"

I nodded.

"Alright Gabriel, lets go!"

Gabriel nodded and put me back on his forehead, before slamming his palms together.

" **Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"**

A massive puff of smoke and a sensation of being pulled through a tube, before the smoke cleared to reveal our new surroundings. I looked around.

"Huh, this wasn't what I was expecting," I said.

" **What were you expecting?"** asked Gabriel, **"Forests and fields?"**

"Well, yeah, I guess so," I said.

As mentioned, the world around us wasn't the lush environment I was expecting, instead it was a rather bleak place, consisting mostly of grey and rocky terrain, with large rocky mountains surrounding the area. Scattered around the large valley was a number of small dwellings that didn't look like they were large enough to live comfortably in. The area we were standing in looked like a cross between a town square and an arena, with tiered seating surrounding a small raised area where a statue of Kaguya stood surrounded by a bed of white lotuses.

"Where exactly are…?" I started, before looking up and trailing off as I spotted a large, blue orb peaking over the horizon, "Em, is that the Earth?"

" **Yep."**

"We're on the moon, aren't we?"

" **We are indeed. Welcome to the home of the Rabbit Summons, the Sea of Tranquility."**

"I see."

I hopped of Gabriel's head, bouncing of his shoulder and hand to safely reach the ground. Once there, I turned back to the Boss and looked up at him.

"So what now?" I asked.

CRASH!

I nearly jumped out of my skin as something huge landed behind me. I spun around and found myself looking up at a tall, lanky, rabbit with brown fur, a white face and incredibly long arms that were patterned with diamonds and stripes. It was wearing baggy lavender trousers, red armour with a massive, white collar with gold edge and a lavender fabric scarf.

The tall bunny crouched down to regard me through large, red eyes as more movement flickered around me as countless other rabbits of all shapes and sizes, clad in all sorts of different types of clothing and weapons.

" **Greetings my friends,"** said Gabriel, spreading his arms, **"As I'm sure you've all heard, we finally have a Summoner after all this time. Allow me to introduce that Summoner, Sasuke Uchiha!"**

"Um, hi," I said, not taking my eyes off the massive rabbit who was still staring down at me.

The rabbit tilted its head on one side, before looking up at Gabriel.

" **You want me to train him Master?"** he asked in a deep, calm voice.

" **Yes Anteira, I do,"** said Gabriel, **"I need you and Kuro to teach him our techniques."**

" **Hmm."**

Anteira looked back down at me.

" **Greetings little one, I am Anteira, Guardian Deva of the Rabbit Clan,"** he said, **"Do you wish to learn from me?"**

I steeled myself and shook of the surprise that came from seeing such a massive rabbit land directly behind me.

"Yeah, I do," I said with a grin, "Gabriel said I needed to learn this to use you the Rabbits to your fullest and I have no intention of letting you down. Do your worst!"

Anteira eyed me for a moment, before he nodded and stood.

" **Good, in that case, I suggest you try to keep up."**

He crouched and jumped, soaring over the dark garden's with ease. I quickly leaped after him, bouncing from block to block, taking care not to crush any of the flowers. Despite Anteira's massive leaps that I didn't have a hope of matching, I was still able to catch up to him and keep him in sight until we reached our destination, a walled off area of the Sea of Tranquility. We landed before a huge pair of stone doors that were carved with a Rinne Sharingan superimposed over a triforce.

"What is this place?" I asked as I followed Anteira through the doors, which were so large the tall bunny didn't even have to duck.

" **This is the Black Garden,"** said Anteira, **"It is place where Lord Hagoromo and Lord Hamura created the Seal to hold back Ganon and Lady Kaguya created the first of the Rabbit Clan to watch over the Seal. It is also the place where we shall be training you."**

"Um, if this place is so important, why are we going to use it as a training ground?" I asked as we made our way through the angular halls and darkly beautiful Poppy fields that made up the Garden.

" **Because this place is impossible to damage in any way,"** said Anteira, **"That makes it perfect for our needs. Now come, we must meet Lady Kuro before we can begin."**

"Who is this Kuro?" I asked.

" **She is the Guardian of the Seal and the Sage of the Clan after her Father, Lord Shiro, passed away three years ago."**

I would have answered, but at that moment we exited the maze-like tunnels into a vast, open area set on multiple tiers. Scattered around the area was a number of statues of Rabbits, with the three largest ones being situated at the far end before the area dropped off into a large cliff. Those three statues depicted Kaguya and her two children with their arms raised towards the centerpiece of the whole garden, a large pillar and split into two arms at the top that formed a nearly complete circle with a pulsing orb of black energy situated between them. Despite its dark colour, the substance seemed to be giving out an oddly soothing aura that offset the massive seal that stretched over a large stretch of land below the cliff and glowed with an angry red light. Sat before the pillar in a lotus position, clearly deep in meditation, was a figure with long, blue hair and rabbit ears.

As we entered, the figure stiffened slightly and turned to look at us. At the sight of her, I stopped and stared. The reason for my surprise was that, despite her ears and cottontail, she wasn't a rabbit. In fact, she looked human, and a very attractive one at that. She had large, red eyes that held warmth and a hint of confusion as she glanced at me, and she was wearing a black collar with white frills, a black, double breasted thigh length vest, a red mini skirt, black stockings supported by garters, red shoes and large wrist cuffs. Not exactly clothes I'd associate with an apparent sage, but hey, if she was anything like the Toad Sages I wasn't about to argue.

"Whos this Anteira?" asked the bunny girl.

" **Our new Summoner Lady Kuro,"** said Anteira, **"Lord Gabriel wishes for us to train him in our Clans Arts."**

"I see," said Kuro, getting to her feet and approaching me, "So you're the Sasuke Uchiha Lady Kagaya informed me about."

She smiled and stuck her hand out to me.

"Hello, I'm Black Rabbit," she said, "Most people around here call me Kuro, but I prefer that name."

"Er, OK," I said, taking her hand, "Nice to meet you Black Rabbit."

Well, thats interesting. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I signed the Rabbit Contract, but two Celestial Digimon and a Moon Rabbit was most definitely not on the list. Still, could be worse I suppose. At least I knew they were really strong, so that wasn't a worry.

"Um, are you OK?" asked Black Rabbit, "You look a little...out of it."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," I said, "I was just wondering why you look so...Human-like."

Black Rabbit blushed slightly and looked embarrassed.

"Ah, well, my family is descended from the original Rabbit Sage, who was Lord Hamura's wife," she said.

"Ah, and they were Human...ish," I said, "Got it."

Anteira cleared his throat.

" **Forgive my interruption, but we should begin,"** he said, **"I imagine Uchiha-san will need to be getting back to the Leaf this evening and we have a lot to get through."**

"Right, lets get to it," said Black Rabbit, "I hope your ready Sasuke, because we won't be holding back."

"Bring it on!" I shouted, "I can take it!"

I would live to regret those words.

 **And thats the end of that. So, Sasuke now has the Rabbit Contract, which isn't as useless as it might seem. I'm not going to include a training montage or anything since I'm not sure how I'd do it, so next time will skip to after his training with the Rabbits.**

 **As mentioned in the Chapter, Gabriel and Anteira are both based on Digimon, Cherubimon and Antylamon respectively. However, although they aren't the only Summons based on Rabbit-like Digimon I have planned, they aren't actually Digimon. They just look like them and have some of the same abilities.**

 **Black Rabbit is basically Black Rabbit from Problem Children. Again, shes not the same character, just very similar. I'm considering doing the same with Velvet Scarlatina from RWBY as well since coming up with ways to make rabbits intimidating is kinda hard.**

 **Yes, the Rabbit Summoning Realm is on the Moon. I blame some bullshit Chakra Magic for how thats possible. Also, the Black Garden is basically the same place from Destiny. Yes, I know its actually found on Mars, no I don't care.**

 **So now its time for me to sign out, so let me just say, leave me a review!**


	20. Chapter 20

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 20

"Me and my big mouth," I groaned as I dropped onto my bed.

It had been two weeks is since I had started training with the Rabbits and in that time I discovered that, despite there soft and fluffy exterior, they were utterly merciless when it came to training. On top of learning the Rabbit Taijutsu style from Anteira and a number of new Rabbit Jutsu from Black Rabbit, they had also had me spar with a number of the smaller rabbits in the Clan and every single time I got my ass handed to me. Still, I was making great progress and was even able to train with my Curse Mark after Black Rabbit saw it one day after my shirt got shredded by my opponent.

Thanks to that training, I now had control over the Seal and could use it freely, although doing so was a bad idea, except as a last resort. While active, the Seal was a major Chakra hog, meaning I couldn't use it for to long or it would drain me and leave me vulnerable. On top of that, it also amplified negative emotions like rage, so if I wasn't careful, I could lose myself and go on a rampage. The main issue with the Seal though was that when it was active, I lost access to my Jutsu and Sharingan. The reason for this was that all my Chakra went into keeping the Seal active and preventing it from making a mess of my body. However, the Darkness the Seal created made it so that the loss of Jutsu wasn't that much of an issue. Not when I could pulverize boulders with a single blow.

* * *

"Hello Sasuke," said Kakashi as he appeared in my bedroom window, "I heard you were training with your new Summons. Rabbits, right?"

I opened one eye to regard my Sensei.

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"Oh, one of my Summons told me," said Kakashi.

"Oh, the Dog Deva, right?"

Kakashi nodded with an eye smile. As it turned out, Anteira was actually one of 12 Summons with the title of Deva who served as the Guardians of the Summon Realm. The others belonged to the Tiger, Dog, Sheep, Snake, Horse, Monkey, Chicken, Rat, Boar, Ox and Dragon clans. In other words, the ones representing the 12 Chinese Zodiac. The Deva were incredibly powerful Summons for those who earned their respect, something that could be incredibly hard. For example, despite having the Snake Contract, neither Orochimaru nor Anko could Summon Sanchira, the Snake Deva unless they wanted to be eaten alive. The fact that Kakashi could even talk to the Dog Deva, Shatora was testament to how much respect the Dogs had for the Copy-nin. As for me, I'm pretty sure the only reason Anteira looked at me twice was because Angela gave me her seal of approval. Literally.

"So what do you want Kakashi?" I asked, "I've finally done with training with the Rabbits for now and I need a rest."

"Well, I was hoping that I could take some time to teach you," said the scarecrow, "We still have two weeks left after all and I wanted to teach you my personal Jutsu."

That got my attention.

"You mean the Chidori?" I asked eagerly.

Even if Sasuke was a total ass in canon, that didn't change the fact that the Chidori was one of the coolest Jutsu in the whole Anime and I couldnt wait to learn it.

"Yep, but if your to tired, I guess it'll have to wait," said Kakashi, turning to leave.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted, scrambling to get out of bed, "I'm good for more training!"

"Oh good, in that case, lets go," said Kakashi happily, placing a hand on my shoulder and using Shinshun to teleport us to the top of a rather large cliff with a number of shattered boulders scattered around the area.

"Alright, lets get started," said Kakashi, "First, a demonstration."

He flashed through a set of seals and activated the Jutsu, creating the iconic ball of lightning between his fingers with that awesome chirping sound.

"Lightning Blade!" he shouted as he charged one of the rocks and blew a massive hole in it.

"Ohhh man, gimme gimme!" I said, practically drooling at the thought of having such an awesome technique at my fingertips.

Kakashi chuckled and my eagerness and started the lesson.

* * *

Later, I was walking back home through the village. Kakashi had kept me out training with the Chidori for hours, trying to master the Jutsu. It was hard, not helped along at all by my lack of affinity, but it was definitely coming along nicely. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to learning the Jutsu was that, until you mastered it, you ran the risk of Chakra burns and my hand was killing me.

I paused in the middle of the street as I felt a large energy source nearby and glanced up at the roof of the large inn next to me. On the roof, silhouetted against the Full Moon, I could see a red headed figure, staring up at the Rabbit home. I eyed her for a moment, before looking around and spotting a nearby coffee shop that was still open.

"Eh, might as well," I said.

Two minutes later, I leaped up onto the roof of the inn with a coffee cup in each hand and a two pack of chocolate chip muffins between my teeth. I landed next to Ilia, who nearly jumped out of her skin at my sudden appearance and her sand reacted.

"WHOA, no need for that!" I yelped as the deadly sand froze an inch from stabbing my eye out.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the sand slowly retreated, although it didn't relax and Ilia was still eyeing me warily.

"Here, want a drink?" I asked, holding out one of the cups.

Ilia blinked, apparently not sure what to make of the offer, before she hesitantly took the offered cup. She looked from the cup to me and back as I took a seat on the roof next to her with my own drink.

"Its not poisoned you know," I said, "I don't have any reason to hurt you."

She hesitated for a moment more, before she took a sip and grimaced.

"Bitter," she said.

"Here."

I handed her some packets of sugar, only for my eyebrows to vanish into my hairline as she tore the tops of the lot and upended them into her drink.

"Um, sweet tooth much?" I said.

Ilia blushed slightly and ducked her head.

" _Cute,"_ I thought, before shaking my head and holding out the muffins, "Want one?"

This time Ilia seemed less hesitant and accepted the offering. We sat in silence for a time, simply enjoying the night air, drinks and food. I could feel Ilia's eyes on me, watching me the whole time, but ignored them.

"Why?" she asked eventually.

I slowly finished the last mouthful of muffin I had taken a moment before she asked, before draining my cup.

"You looked lonely," I said.

"Thats a lie," said Ilia, her sand shifting slightly.

"Not completely," I said, "I admit I have other reasons for wanting to talk to you, but I know what its like to be lonely. Sure I've never been completely alone like Jinchuuriki usually are, but I did lose my entire family in a single night."

Ilia flinched slightly at the mention of Jinchuuriki.

"How…?"

I flashed my Sharingan.

"With these I can see Chakra," I said, "Not only that, but the only thing that could give you such acute control over sand would be the Shukaku. I guess thats also why you can't sleep and seem to have a split personality, right?"

Ilia flinched and again and slowly shook her head.

"No, Ichibi isn't the one responsible," she said, "Shukaku is…"

"Er, come again?" I asked, "I thought the Shukaku was the Ichibi?"

Ilia shook her head.

"No, Shukaku was the name of Ichibi's second Jinchuuriki," said Ilia, "I don't know how, but he somehow managed to bind his soul to Ichibi, making him immortal. He can't control Ichibi, but he can keep it suppressed deeper within the Seal and come to the surface when I'm stressed, feeling intense emotion or asleep. He's completely insane and when he comes out, he forces me back and takes control. It's all I can do to keep enough control to keep him from slaughtering everyone for his 'mother'."

I stared at her as I tried to absorb what I'd just been told. I thought that sort of thing was limited to old Fanfics before Kishimoto started revealing more about the Tanuki's past! Then again, this is a world where Kaguya is good and Sakura is useful before the timeskip, so I guess I shouldn't assume things will be the same as canon.

"O...K," I said, "That was a bit unexpected."

Ilia sniffed as she teared up.

"I can't do anything," she said, "It was bad enough that no one would act scared around me when I was a kid, but at least Temari and Kankuro were always there for me. Then Shukaku took over after Uncle Yashamaru tried to kill me on the Kazekage's orders and started destroying everything. No one will believe me when I tell them I didn't do it, that I have no control! I just want to be able to sleep without that bastard trying to take over! I want to be able to spend time with my family without having to worry about Shukaku trying to kill them! I...I want to be free!"

She burst into tears. I hesitated for a moment, before slowly wrapping an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Two seconds later, I found my arms full of sobbing Sand-nin as she threw herself fully into my arms and started bawling her eyes out into my chest. I started rubbing her back as my mind whirled. When I came to talk to her, I had no idea that I'd discover this! My original plan was to simply offer her some company she sorely needed, but now I felt like I couldn't just leave her in this state. Just one problem. For all my skill in the Ninja Arts, I had no talent for Sealing. Black Rabbit had tried to teach me, but I simply could not get it. I couldn't even make Explosive Tags, the simplest of all Seals, so I didn't have a chance of messing with a Jinchuuriki's seal without it blowing up in my face and likely killing everyone in a mile wide area.

The only thing I could think of was to try asking some of the Rabbits if they could help, but considering how fragile Ilia seemed to be, I didn't want to give her false hope or she may go completely over the edge. The best thing I could do was talk to my Summons and see if they had anything that could work before I talked to Ilia about it. For the moment though, I'd stick with comforting the poor girl.

* * *

The problem with dealing with insomniacs was that Ilia didn't fall asleep from crying. While I didn't mind comforting her, I also didn't really want to spend all night sat on the cold roof. Fortunately, even if she didn't cry herself to sleep, she still exhausted herself and, after thoroughly soaking my shirt, she excused herself and vanished inside, leaving me alone. I remained still for a moment, staring up at the moon, before I leaped off the roof and continued on the way home, deep in thought.

* * *

I was broken from my thoughts a few blocks later when a loud crash came from a nearby alley, along with shouting and hurried footsteps.

"What's going on?" I muttered, stopping in the entrance of the alley…

Right as a black blur came shooting out of the alley and nearly slammed into me had I not stepped out of the way. The blur revealed itself to be a familiar black haired girl in a tattered, olive flak jacket like vest and gray camo patterned trousers and scarf.

"Hey, aren't you that Sound-nin?" I asked, "Kin Tsuchi, right?"

Kin blinked up at me for a moment, before her eyes widened in fear.

"Oh no, you're the Uchiha!" she moaned.

"Thats me," I said, "But I don't know why you look so scared."

"There she is!"

I turned my head to see a group of men wearing uniforms I recognized as from the Sound Village. As they came skidding around the corner, they stopped at the sight of me.

"Whos that?" asked one of the Nin.

"No clue," said another, "Hey kid, unless you want to die, I suggest you hand over the girl!"

I raised an eyebrow and looked back at Kin.

"Aren't you part of their Village?" I asked, "Why are they chasing you down?"

"T-they want to kill me," said Kin.

"Its none of your business brat," growled one of the Sound-nin, "Just hand her over or things will get ugly."

"You know, making demands of a Ninja in a foreign village where you're not even supposed to be is a very stupid thing to do," I said, "Of course, aiming to kill someone from your own Village is an even stupider move. Let me guess, Orochimaru wants to use her as a sacrifice for some sort of Forbidden Jutsu?"

The Sound-nin recoiled in shock.

"How..?" gasped the leader.

"Thought so," I said, "Now I have no choice but to stop you from killing her on principle."

I bit my thumb and flipped through a set of signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, which cleared to reveal a small, fluffy white rabbit. There was a moments silence, before the Sound-nin burst out laughing.

"AHAHAHA, is that the best you can do?" said one of them, "A rabbit? How pathetic!"

"Oh, I wouldn't laugh if I were you," I said, "Monty here might look harmless, but I guarantee that hes more than enough to beat you goons."

The rabbit opened his eyes, revealing a pair of blood red orbs.

"He's no ordinary Rabbit," I continued, "Hes the most foul, cruel and bad tempered rodent you've ever set eyes on and hes got a vicious streak a mile wide. Hes a killer."

"AHAHAH, whats he gonna do, nibble out bums?" asked one of the soon to be appetisers.

"OK, don't say I didn't warn you," I said, taking a big step back.

"Enough of this," said the leader as he got his laughter under control, "You, kill the Rabbit and the boy then grab the girl. If we're quick we can even have some fun before we turn her over to Lord Orochimaru."

He leered at Kin, who shrank behind me, despite her previous fear of me.

"Right, one rabbit stew comin right up," said the Nin, advancing on my fluffy summon with a Kunai drawn.

The Rabbit took one look at the Nin, before it suddenly pounced at him and tore his head of with its teeth. The Sound-nin's jaws dropped in horror as the rabbit landed lightly and licked its chops.

"Alright boys, whos next?" asked the bunny in a surprisingly deep, Russian accented voice.

The Sound-nin all gulped and took a step back as the rabbit slowly advanced on them with a demonic grin on its face, showing its razor sharp fangs. The Sound-nin quickly ran for their lives with the bunny in hot pursuit

"Alright Kin, since your pursuers have been dealt with, lets go," I said.

"Where to?" asked Kin warily.

"That depends, do you have anywhere to go?" I asked, "I doubt your hotel will be safe if Orochimaru wants you dead."

Kin looked down.

"I-I guess your right," she said, "I-I don't want to die…But I don't have anywhere else to go. I only joined the Sound because Orochimaru gave me a home. Without that, I have nothing."

I eyed her for a moment, before mentally shrugging. I could probably put a good word in and she could have useful information about the Invasion that I could use to get the Hokage to get the Village ready.

"Come stay at my place tonight," I said, "Tomorrow I'll take you to see the Hokage and see if he can do anything to help."

Kin nodded hesitantly and followed me in the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound where I had been slowly moving in over the past few weeks. I still mostly stayed with Anko, but I was planning to move in full time after the Chunin Exams. We had just reached the Compound when my Summon landed beside me, making Kin jump.

"Hey there Caerbannog, you done?" I asked.

"Da, thank you for the meal," said the Rabbit, "Do you need anything else?"

"Could you go let Anko know I'll be staying over at the Compound before you disperse?" I asked.

"Sure thing," he said, before leaping away.

I lead the way through the Compound towards the Main House.

"This place is creepy," said Kin, looking around at the empty houses.

"Yeah, thats why I plan to sell most of the place off to the village," I said, "Since its only me in the Clan now, it doesn't need all this space and won't for a while."

"That makes sense I guess," she said as we reached the house.

I led her inside and through the halls to one of the bedrooms.

"You can use this room for tonight," I said.

"Thanks," mumbled Kin, entering the room.

"No problem, see you tomorrow."

I waved and headed through the halls to my own room. I think that tomorrow was going to be a right pain in the arse.

 **And I'm done. There you go ultima-owner, the Rabbit of Caerbannog, as promised.**

 **Two Naruto fic cliches for the price of one here with the Ichibi being controlled by one of his past containers and saving Kin. Eh, I'd been planning the scene with Ilia for a while, although I will admit that the scene with Kin was pretty spur of the moment. Still, I do have plans for her.**

 **Like Kin, the Deva's were added on a whim, mostly to add a touch more depth to the world. Other than Anteira and possibly Shatora, they probably won't be appearing.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Please leave me a review!**


	21. Chapter 21

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 21

The next morning I woke up bright and early and headed downstairs to make breakfast. Since I had Kin staying upstairs and I predicted that Anko would be turning up very shortly to mooch breakfast off me, I made sure to make plenty. It didn't take long for the smell of cooking food to attract Kin. She came into the room, looking groggy and wearing a dressing gown I recognised as belonging to my mother.

"Have a seat," I said, turning back to the stove, "You too Anko."

"Don't mind if I do kid," said the Snake Mistress as she entered through the window.

Kin jumped at the Special Jonin's sudden appearance.

"Whos the girl Brat?" asked Anko, jerking her thumb at Kin, "A girlfriend?"

Kin let out a yelp and went red.

"Nope, I saved her last night from a bunch of Sound-nin that were trying to kill her," I said.

"Wait, I thought she was from the Sound," said Anko.

Kin flinched.

"Like that matters when the leader of the Village is Orochimaru," I said as I placed a plate of Bacon and eggs in front of Anko.

"Is that so?" asked the Snake user, eyeing Kin through narrowed eyes.

The hopefully-former Sound-nin shifted uncomfortably under Ankos gaze and ducked her head as I placed a plate in front of her.

"What do you plan to do?" asked Anko.

"Well, I highly doubt that Orochimaru is here to reminisce about old times, so I was going to take her to the Hokage and see if he would be willing to take her in in exchange for information."

I looked over at Kin.

"If shes willing that is."

Kin looked up and met my eyes hesitantly, before she seemed to steel herself and nodded.

"I'll do it," she said, "Orochimaru tried to have me killed and I have no loyalty to the Sound."

She looked down, clenching her fist.

"I'll do whatever it takes to bring that bastard down!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the table.

Anko and I stared at her in shock, specifically her eyes.

"Er, Kin, are you an orphan by any chance?" I asked.

Kin blinked at the apparent non sequitur.

"Um, I never knew my Father, but my Mum died in the attack that destroyed my village in the Land of Grass," she said, "Why?"

I pointed at her eyes. Kin blinked and picked up her spoon to look at her reflection. She stared at her eyes for a moment in pure shock, before looking up at me.

"B-but how?" she stuttered, "How in the world can I have the Sharingan?"

Sure enough, her eyes did indeed hold the first level of the Sharingan.

"If you don't know your Father, its possible that he could be an Uchiha," I said, "Or it could be a case of long dormant Uchiha genes coming active in you. Either way, it doesn't matter, if you have the Sharingan, that means that your an Uchiha and I have one more reason to help you."

"Whats that?" asked Kin guardedly.

"Your family," I said with a grin, "The only family I have other than Itachi. I won't let anyone harm my family again, no matter what!"

I snorted and burst out laughing, making both girls look at me funny.

"Whats so funny?" asked Anko.

"Oh, its just that Orochimaru is obsessed with getting his hands on the Sharingan and he never knew there was a potential user right under his nose," I said.

Anko snorted and joined my laughter.

"Serves the old snake bastard right!" she said.

"Yep, now eat your breakfast," I said, "We'll head to the Hokage Mansion after we've eaten."

The girls nodded and dug in.

* * *

"So let me see if I've got this straight," said the Hokage, massaging his temples, "You saved her from a bunch of Sound-nin last night, who shouldn't have been in the Village by the way, and you convinced her to give us information on Orochimaru in exchange for asylum?"

"Theres one more thing, but thats the gist of it," I said.

"And what would that be?" asked the Hokage, raising one eyebrow.

I glanced at Kin, who nodded and activated her Sharingan.

"I see," said the Hokage.

He took a deep breath, before he snatched up a paperweight and lobbed it at my head.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME FROM STRESS?!" roared the Hokage as I was knocked on my ass from the sudden attack.

"Owww, that hurt," I groaned.

The Hokage huffed and calmed down.

"So, shes an Uchiha then?" he asked.

"Apparently," I said, getting back to my feet, "Although none of us have any idea how."

The Hokage sighed.

"Very, lets hear it," said the Hokage, "Any information about Orochimaru would be appreciated."

"I don't know all the details, I was just a low ranked Ninja," said Kin, "But I do know that Orochimaru plans to invade the Leaf during the third exam with the help of the Sand."

"What? But the Sand are our alley!" protested Anko.

"Like I said, I don't know all the details," said Kin, "I think its got something to do with the Sand being unhappy with the Wind Daimyo cutting their budget and sending most mission requests here to the Leaf. They're desperate for money before they end up being destroyed because they've become too weak. "

"Hmm, I certainly understand why the Kazekage would be desperate then," said the Hokage, "But to risk war and teaming up with someone like Orochimaru...it seems like they must be even more desperate than we thought..."

The old man trailed off, clearly deep in thought.

"Anko, take Miss Tsuchi to the T&I department and get as much information as you can," said the Hokage, holding up a hand to stall my protests, "Don't worry Sasuke, I simply wish to have a Yamanaka confirm that she's not a security threat. So long as her desire to defect is sincere, she will be placed on a two month long probation before being fully inducted into the Shinobi ranks. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes Lord Hokage," said Kin, "Thank you for the opportunity."

I sighed.

"Fine, whatever," I said, "Now I should be going. I gotta meet Kakashi for more training. I'll see you guys later."

I jumped out the window as Anko led Kin out of the office.

* * *

The remaining two weeks until the Third Exam flew by for everyone. The Genin who were taking part in the Exam spent the whole time training, myself included. I spent the days training with Kakashi between the many meetings the Jonin had to prepare for the upcoming invasion. While Kakashi was unavailable, I spent more time in the Sea of Tranquility, working with Black Rabbit to come up with a way to help Ilia with her crazy ass mental roommate. Unfortunately, the only methods we could find involved drawing the Spirit out. Good thing I knew that Ilia would likely be using the full power of Shukaku during the invasion.

* * *

Once she had been cleared by Inochi Yamanaka, Kin moved into the Uchiha compound with me. We spent time getting to know one another and sparing to help Kin get used to using her Sharingan. She was also tearing apart my library for Genjutsu of all sorts and even a few Sound based Ninjutsu my ancestors had got from somewhere. Apparently, despite abandoning the Sound, she still liked sound based Ninjutsu. It was also during this time that my Teammates met Kin and, although Sakura wasn't entirely pleased to see her after the confrontation in the Forest of Death, a quick explanation brought her around and before long the two girls were chatting like old friends.

In addition to all the other things I was doing, I also spend a few more evenings hanging out with Ilia, much to the Sand-nins apparent joy, although she always seemed a little guarded around me. Not that I really blame her considering her Village was planning to invade at Orochimaru's behest.

* * *

Considering how busy I was, its no surprise that the remainder of the month flew by and the day of the Finals rolled around. I woke up bright and early, feeling like I had a brick settled in my stomach. Today was the day I'd fight in my first large scale battle and against a girl I had become friends with at that. The fact I'd also be fighting in front of a huge crowd of important people as well didn't really help my nerves. After forcing down some breakfast, Kin and I left to head to the Arena. The former Sound-nin had changed her look, exchanging her camo patterned leggings and scarf for dark blue ones and her vest for a high collared vest like the ones most of the Uchiha clan wore. She would have worn the Uchiha fan as well, but until she completed her probation and was inducted as a full Leaf-nin, we had decided it would be better if we kept the fact she was an Uchiha quite.

"Are you OK?" asked Kin as we approached the Arena.

"I'll be fine," I said, "I'm just worried."

"About the invasion?" asked Kin.

I nodded.

"Yeah, I don't want to have to fight Ilia in a full on battle," I said.

"You're scared of her?"

I chuckled.

"Hell no," I said, "I just don't want to kill my friend."

Kin frowned.

"Thats right, you've become close, right?" she said.

I nodded.

"Yeah."

I let out a sigh.

"Guess I should stop worrying," I said, "Nothing I can do to stop it now and I've got my match to worry about first."

By this point we had reached the doors of the arena.

"Best of luck in your match Sasuke," said Kin as she headed up into the stands.

"Thanks," I said, heading into the arena proper.

The other competitors (minus Dosu, who was already dead) were already in the arena along with the proctor, Genma. I joined the other Genin, stepping up next to Naruto, who grinned at me.

"Right on time Sasuke," he said, "For a moment I thought you were gonna be late."

"Nah, not a chance," I said.

"Quit messing around," said Genma, "Turn and face the crowd. You lot are the main event so don't disappoint."

We all turned to face the same direction as the Jonin, looking up at the Kage box where the Hokage and 'Kazekage' were sat. As we did, the Hokage stood and stepped up to the edge of the box.

"Thank you all for coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for the finals of the Chunin Exams!" he said, his voice amplified by Chakra, "We will now be begin the Tournament between the 8 participants who made it to the Finals! I ask that you watch all the way to the end and enjoy yourselves!"

He sat back down as the crowd started cheering.

"Before we begin, take a look at this," said Genma, holding up a paper with the brackets on it, "There have been a few alterations to the matches."

I narrowed my eyes when I saw that my match had been moved to last. Looks like the Hokage wanted to give everyone a chance to show off. Or have more time to prepare since we knew that Orochimaru was planning to attack after my match. One or the other.

"Alright guys, the battle field is different, but the rules are the same as the prelims," said Genma, "You fight until one combatant is down, gives up or dies. I will step in if I deem the battle to be over to prevent unnecessary deaths. The first match is between Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki. Everyone else, head up to the waiting area."

We all nodded and headed off, leaving Neji and Naruto in the arena.

"This should be an interesting match," I said as I leant against the railing of the balcony, "Naruto's come a long way and he's got plenty of new tricks up his sleeve."

"Meanwhile, Neji is last years Rookie of the Year," said Shikamaru, "Troublesome…"

"Neji, I hope you haven't forgotten," said Naruto, "I'm going to take you down!"

"Heh, pathetic loser," said Neji, "You don't stand a chance against me!"

"BEGIN!" said Genma, before leaping out of the way.

 **And we're done. Next time, Naruto gets to play with masks. Hehehe, that'll be fun.**

 **Kin as an Uchiha was done on a whim, although it will be an interesting plot point further down the line when I reveal who her parents are.**

 **Is it believable that Orochimaru missed the fact that Kin had Uchiha blood? Maybe, but if he just thought she was a random peon he picked up from some backwater village, he probably wouldn't check to see if she had a Bloodline unless he was planning to use her for an experiment.**

 **Since its unnamed, the Land of Grass is where the Village Hidden in the Grass is located.**

 **Short ending AN for once, but this chapter is mostly a filler to bridge the month between the Second and final test. Please leave me a review!**


	22. Chapter 22

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 22

With the match now beginning, Naruto drew his sword and shield, taking a ready stance as Neji slipped into the first stance of the Gentle Fist.

"Alright, lets go back to basics," said Naruto, crossing his fingers, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke and a group of clones appeared and charged Neji with their swords at the ready.

"Heh, you're wasting your time," said Neji, activating his Byakugan and charging forwards, taking out the Clones with pinpoint strikes.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and created another wave of clones that Neji tore apart with no problem.

"Heh, you want to become Hokage, don't you?" said Neji, "Preposterous. Talent is decided at birth, as is one's destiny. I see all with these eyes of mine."

"Heh, you have no idea what you're talking about," said Naruto, "I won't stop until I become Hokage!"

"You believe that you can become Hokage through hard work alone?" sneered Neji, "Do you know how few people ever become Hokage? Barely a handful and do you know why? Because they were chosen by Destiny. It doesn't matter how hard you try, you can never escape from your fate. There is only one thing we all share and that is Death."

"So what, you think I should just give up?" asked Naruto, "Like hell! Not now, not ever!"

He thrust his sword into the air and the blade began to glow, before he swung the weapon and released a spinning blade of energy that carved a gash into the ground as it spun towards Neji. The Hyuuga narrowed his eyes and sidestepped the attack, slamming a palm unto the attack and disrupting it with a blast of Chakra.

"Is that the bes…" started Neji, but was cut off as another clone of Naruto appeared behind him and jumped, performing a spin attack that would have hit Neji had he not rolled out of the way.

The Hyuuga spun and destroyed the clone, before deflecting the sword that nearly pierced his kidneys from behind and destroyed the swords wielder.

"We've got you now!" shouted a wave of clones as they surrounded the Hyuuga and pounced, swords leading the way.

"How foolish," said Neji as he began to spin, "Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation!"

He spun, expelling Chakra to blow away the clones, forcing them to Dispel.

"That's the Rotation," said Naruto, "I thought that that was only taught to the Main Family."

"How do you know that?" asked Neji.

"Hinata filled me in," said Naruto, "Only an idiot goes into battle without know what his opponent is capable off."

"Humph, I should have known," sneered Neji, "Birds of a feather flock together and you losers are no different."

He widened his stance and held out his arms.

"Well no matter," he said, "I'll just have to show you that those who are fated to lose, always will. You're already within my Eight Trigrams!"

He activated his Byakugan and took his stance, before charging Naruto.

"Two…"

Two strikes aimed at Naruto's tenketsu.

"Four...Eight...sixteen...thirty two...Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms!"

Neji slammed his palms into Naruto's chest, sending him flying across the arena, coughing up blood.

"Proctor, its over," said Neji, "That loser won't be getting up after that."

The Proctor shook his head and pointed over Nejis shoulder.

"Sorry Neji, but its not over yet," said Genma.

Neji frowned and turned to see Naruto pushing himself to his feet, using his sword as a crutch.

"I'll show you loser," he growled, reaching into his pouch.

He pulled something out and raised it to his face.

* * *

"Whats that?" asked Shikamaru, "Looks like some kind of mask."

I frowned and activated my Sharingan to focus on the object. It looked like a mask depicting a human with blue and red markings, pointed ears and greenish gray hair.

"Wha...where did he get that?" I gasped.

"You know what that is?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I do," I said, "But I didn't think it was real. Its one of the Spirit Masks that hold the souls of dead warriors. According to the stories, they can grant the wearer the powers of the beings whose souls they contain. We're going to be in for one heck of a show."

* * *

Naruto put the mask on and his Chakra spiked.

" **GRAAAAAAGH!"** he yelled as Chakra swirled around me, followed by an explosion of smoke.

"What in the world?" gasped Neji, "His Chakra just quadrupled! Whats going on?"

" **Get ready Neji,"** said Naruto from within the cloud, his voice thrumming with power, **"Because now the real battle begins."**

The cloud dispersed, revealing Naruto kneeling on the ground, leaning on a massive, two handed sword with a helix shaped blade. His tunic had been replaced with silvery armour with the Uzumaki swirl on the back, his hair had turned silver and his whisker marks had thickened into red stripes.

" **Fierce Deity Mask,"** said Naruto, pushing himself to his feet.

Neji scowled and activated his Byakugan once more.

"You're wasting your time," he snapped, "I've closed all your...What the hell?"

His eyes widened as he stared at Naruto's Chakra system.

"H-how...y-your Tenketsu have reopened!"

" **Heh, you don't know?"** said Naruto, **"A surge of Chakra can be used to force open closed Tenketsu. Now, let me show you the true power of this 'loser'."**

He crouched, the tip of his sword aimed at Neji, before he pushed off and rocketed towards Neji at incredible speed. The Hyuuga jumped back out of range of the thrust, only for his eyes to widen as the blade of the sword glowed and fired a bolt of light that nearly stabbed him through the shoulder. Naruto didn't let up, slamming a foot into the earth and spinning, his massive sword sweeping through the air and releasing another sword beam that forced Neji to roll out of the way and leap back to avoid the follow up overhead swing. However, he wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the next attack as Naruto used the hilt of his sword as a pivot to spin and land a powerful kick to Neji's ribs, sending the Hyuuga flying across the arena.

"D-damn," groaned Neji as he pushed himself up, blood leaking from his lips, "Where did all this strength come from?"

" **Don't take your eyes off me!"** shouted Naruto as he charged at Neji.

The Hyuuga grunted as he jumped out of the way, allowing Naruto to demolish a rock with a swing of his sword.

"Heh, all that power is useless if you can't hit me," said Neji.

Naruto smirked.

" **Oh really,"** he said, **"And here I thought that those eyes were all seeing."**

"What?"

The ground under Neji cracked, drawing the Hyuuga's eyes down.

"What the…"

CRACCK!

The ground erupted and a clone of Naruto came shooting out of the earth, nailing Neji in the chin and sending him flying. Neji's Byakugan widened as another Naruto appeared behind him in mid air.

"What the... " gasped Neji, "T-thats…"

" **Dancing Leaf Shadow,"** said Naruto, **"I found a scroll on it in Sasuke's Library."**

The masked Nin smirked and spun, slamming his foot into Neji's side with a crunch and sending him flying across the arena again to slam into the wall where two more clones slammed into the wall, pinning him in place, his feet dangling off the wall.

" **I have you now,"** said Naruto, **"One twitch and I can take your head off. Give up. Loser."**

Nejis eyes widened, before he gritted his teeth in fury.

"You… YOU DAMN BRAT!" he roared, releasing a pulse of Chakra that destroyed the clones holding him, "I'LL SHOW YOU!"

He charged and slammed a palm into the surprised Naruto's chest, releasing a pulse of Chakra that sent him flying back. A second later, the Naruto Neji had hit vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Shadow Clone!" gasped Neji.

He looked up where Naruto was dropping towards him with his sword held high and glowing with Chakra.

" **This is for Hinata, jackass!"** shouted Naruto as he swing his sword, unleashing the built up energy in a massive arch.

Neji leaped back, avoiding the attack by inches, but that proved to be pointless as the energy exploded, blasting the Hyuuga back.

"D-damn, I can't move," groaned Neji, "How could I have forgotten, Shadow Clones are your specialty, aren't they?"

Naruto took a deep breath and removed his mask, causing his body to revert back to normal.

"You know, I failed the graduation exam three times," he said, "I failed because I couldn't do the Clone Jutsu. Everything I am today is because I worked for it. Quite whining about Fate. No one can know the future, not even those all seeing eyes of yours. If a 'loser' like me can figure that out, then a genius like you should have no trouble at all."

"Hn, winner, Naruto Uzumaki!" called Genma.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Naruto walked out of the arena and the Medic's rushed in to pick up Neji and take him to the infirmary.

* * *

"That was pretty impressive," I said turning to Naruto as entered the waiting area, "Where did you get the Mask?"

Naruto smirked.

"You could say it's my legacy," he said.

I blinked.

"Wait, you mean the Uzumaki Clan?" I asked.

"The what clan?" asked Shikamaru, "I've never heard of them."

"I'm not to surprised by that," said Naruto, "The Uzumaki were mostly wiped out during the Third War, but were renowned for their skills in Kenjutsu and the Sealing Arts. They also had pretty close ties to the Leaf and it just so happens that I'm a descendent of them."

"So, clan secret," I said, "Fair enough, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Alright, lets move on," shouted Genma, "Next up, Shino Aburame vs Kankuro of the Desert!"

I glanced over at the Puppet User as he forfeited, as I expected. I ignored Genma as he called the match in Shinos favor and requested that the next two combatants come down in favor of looking at Ilia. I could see that she was starting to shake slightly and her eyes were twitching ever so slightly, all signs I recognized as being from her trying to keep Shukaku at bay. I narrowed my eyes. It looked like I may be able to do something about that bastard sooner than I thought.

I turned back to the arena where Shikamaru and Temari were duking it out. Not long now. Just a little longer and it would be my turn. I grinned. I could hardly wait.

 **And thats the end of that. I hope you liked the fight!**

 **So, apparently Naruto's got some Masks from the Uzumaki Clan. I wonder where he got them and who pointed him in the right direction? Thats for the future though.**

 **Next time, Sasuke's match! Until then, leave a review!**


	23. Chapter 23

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 23

"Alright, time for the final Match!" called Genma, "Sasuke Uchiha of the Leaf and Ilia of the Desert of the Sand! Could the combatants please come down to the arena floor!"

I grinned and looked over at Ilia.

"Hey Ilia, lets go," I said, making the girl jump.

"What?" she said.

"The people want a show, so lets go give them one," I said.

The Ichibi Jinchuuriki blinked, before giving a small smile and nodding.

"Alright," she said.

We both made for the stairs and started heading down towards the arena floor. As we did, I noticed that Ilia looked nervus. I put a hand on her shoulder, making her pause and look up at me.

"Don't worry," I said, "I can deal with him if he comes out."

Ilia looked down sadly.

"But I don't want you to get hurt," she mumbled, "Perhaps I should…"

"Don't even think about it," I said, cutting her off, "This match is important, for us and for our Villages. You wouldn't want to disappoint the crowd, would you?"

Ilia hesitated for a moment, before she nodded.

"Alright, lets go," she said.

I grinned. We continued back down towards the Arena. We were just emerging out into the stairwell when two Ninja bearing the symbol of the Grass Village.

"Hey there, sorry to be a pain, but we need a quick word with you, Sand-nin," said one of them, leering at Ilia.

We both stopped.

"What?" asked Ilia.

"Heh, this tournament is an excellent place to make money, if you know how," said the other, "Of course, that means that you have to lose this upcoming fight."

I narrowed my eyes and activated my Sharingan.

"I really hope that you don't mean what I think you mean," I said.

"Whats it to you?" asked the lead Grass-nin, "If anything, you should be helping us. After all, we're only going to help you win."

"Actually, I find the fact you think you plan to tip the odds in my favour incredibly insulting," I said, "I don't like cheats."

The two Ninja sneered and pushed off the wall.

"That honesty will be the death of you brat," said the leader, "You won't be able to stop us."

I smirked.

"Oh, I already have."

My eyes glowed and Ilia and I flickered and vanished.

"W-what the?!" spluttered one of the Nin, "Where'd they go?"

The ground began to crack and thick, black vines erupted out of the cracks and grabbed them.

"GYAHHHH!"

* * *

"What did you do to them?" asked Ilia as we reached the exit to the arena.

"Just a bit of Genjutsu," I said, "They'll be fine, so long as they're actually decent Ninja. Don't worry about them though, focus on the fight."

Ilia nodded as we stepped out into the arena to a chorus of cheers from the crowd and made our way to the center of the arena.

"Ready?" said Genma, "BEGIN!"

I leaped back and drew a brace of Shuriken and threw them at Ilia. As expected, her Sand caught them, but I wasn't expecting anything different. That was more a test than anything else. The sand shifted and shot towards me at incredible speed. I narrowed my eyes and activated my Sharingan to give me an edge in avoiding the attacks.

"Alright, lets give this a try," I muttered, flipping through a set of seals as I dodged another attack, ending on a Tiger sign, "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

I inhaled and spat out a large ball of fire that burned so hot it was nearly white. Ilia narrowed her eyes and twitched her fingers, causing a wall of sand to erupt out of the ground in front of her, blocking the fireball which instantly melted the sand into glass.

"Hnn, well I can't say that wasn't unexpected," I said, "Fine, lets try this. Ice Style: Shuriken Snow Storm!"

The air around me began to shimmer as the water droplets in the air began to freeze, forming into Shuriken shaped like snowflakes that flew at Ilia at incredible speed as they appeared, only to be batted aside by her sand.

"Come on Sasuke, is that all you can do?" called Ilia as her shield dropped.

I let out a huff and placed my hands in a tiger seal.

"Guess I have no choice," I said, "I can't afford to take this match anything but seriously or I'll lose. Weights release."

My weighted bands released and fell to the ground with a thud, sinking into the earth slightly. I smirked as I switched my seal to a Hare, before crossing my arms in front of my face.

"Ninja Art: Bunny Blades."

The new metal bracers on my forearms glowed, before a short Chakra blade shot out.

"Rabbit Taijutsu style: Bounding Blades."

I crouched and pushed off, shooting across the battlefield at speeds approaching Lee's. I appeared in front of Ilia and swung by Bunny Blades, only for the sand shield to jump up and protect her, deflecting the blade. The sand surged up, trying to grab me, but I was already on the move, dashing around Ilia fast enough to kick up a cloud of dust, occasionally leaping over her to try and get through the shield. Needless to say, it didn't work, but it gave me the opening I needed. Quick as a flash, I ducked under the sand shield and was able to land a solid kick to Ilia's chest that sent her flying back into the wall, hitting a cloud of sand that formed behind her before she could hit the unyielding stone.

"Ow, that Sand Armour's strong," I said, shaking out my now numb leg.

Ilia slowly pushed herself up, before she suddenly gasped and grabbed her head, falling to her knees in pain.

"N-no," she gasped, "I-I won't let you! Not Sasuke!"

I narrowed my eyes. That didn't sound good. I hopped back out of range as her sand began to shift, writhing around like a live thing.

"S-Sasuke, I can't hold him!" gasped Ilia, "Please, don't hold back! I don't want to see you die! AHHH!"

She fell limp and I immediately felt something change.

"Is that it?" she said, her voice now monotone, "Pathetic...Well, no matter. Your blood will make an excellent sacrifice for Mother…"

"Heh, perfect," I said, "I was hoping you'd make an appearance. Now I can…"

I was interrupted as Shukaku clasped his hands together, causing the sand around him to surge up and form into a ball of sand.

"Oh hell," I said as I heard him start to chant, "My plan won't work if I can't see the bastard."

I scowled.

"Damn, looks like I have no choice."

I leaped back and darted up the wall. I didn't really want to do this, but I knew it'd work to break the sand shell before Shukaku could bring out the Ichibis power.

"Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Tiger, Monkey," I said as I flashed through the signs, before gripping my wrist as the Chakra built up, "Chidori!"

I had to smile as the distinctive sound started up and I felt my hand begin to tingle from the Lightning Chakra that surrounded my hand. I pushed off the wall and hit the ground running as fast as I could, sprinting across the arena floor, the Chakra in my hand carving a deep gash in the ground as I went.

"Sorry about this Ilia," I shouted as I thrust my hand forwards, piercing the sand shell.

I felt my arm impact and penetrate Ilia's shoulder and immediately yanked my arm back out of the shell and jumped back before the shell could hit me with spikes or crush my limb.

" **GRAAAAAHHHHHH!"** roared the creature controlling Ilia.

My eyes widened as my Sharingan warned me of an incoming attack. I flipped back evading the massive sand arm that shot out of the shell and tried to grab me. The arm flopped to the ground and retracted, before the shell cracked and collapsed, revealing Ilia panting and holding her shoulder. I could tell she was back in control from the thankful look she sent my way.

" _Damn, looks like I missed my chance,"_ I thought.

I glanced up as I felt my Chakra fluctuate. As expected, the source of the feeling was the feathers now falling from the sky. The invasion was beginning. Genma stepped in front of me as Baki and the other two Sand Siblings dropped down into the arena. Ilia gave me a sad look, before she gasped and grabbed her head again. Genma and I watched as the Sand Shinobi spoke quietly to one another, before the Sand Siblings took off.

"Sasuke," said Genma.

"Got it," I said, "Do you need me to leave you some help?"

"Naw, I got it," said Genma, "You save your Chakra."

I nodded.

"Alright, but I'm gonna need some back up," I said, "Yo Shino, you want to tag along?"

The Bug User dropped down behind me.

"Of course, I want a chance to face the Puppet User," said Shino.

"Then lets go."

"One sec," I said, biting my thumb, "I'm going to leave behind a messinger so any reinforcements they send can find us. SUMMONING JUTSU!"

There was a puff of smoke that quickly cleared to reveal a small, brown rabbit with huge ears, pink markings and three horns on its forehead.

"U-um, do you need something Sasuke-sama?" asked the rabbit, looking around carefully.

"Don't worry Coco, I don't need you for battle," I said, "I just need you to hang around and, if Kakashi sends anyone after me, lead them in the right direction, OK? He should be up there."

I pointed towards where I felt Kakashi's Chakra emanating from. Coco nodded and spread her ears, somehow using them to fly up to the balcony.

"Thats a very unusual Summon," said Shino.

"The Rabbits usually are," I said, "Anyway, onwards!"

I lead the way over the wall with Shino in hot pursuit.

* * *

Thanks to our superior knowledge of the geography of the Village and its surrounding countryside, it didn't take us long to catch up with and overtake the Sand Siblings.

"You know, its not very polite to attack your allies," I said as we dropped down in front of the three.

"Damn it, how did they catch up so quickly?" growled Kankuro.

"This is our Village," said Shino, "You can't escape from us in here. Not even with Orochimaru's briefing."

Tamari narrowed her eyes.

"Wait...you knew," she said.

"Yep," I said, "You know the old saying, 'hell hath no fury'? Well it just so happens that Orochimaru tried to kill the wrong woman."

At that moment, Kin dropped out of the trees beside me. With her Sharingan on full blast.

"Of course the Leaf has a similar saying," I continued, "Fuck with an Uchiha and you get burned. Now, you three have a choice, give up and I'll put in a good word so you don't get burned too badly for dancing to Orochimaru's tune, or, we can beat you all to a bloody pulp and tie you up until this mess is dealt with."

"My my Sasuke, I had no idea you were into that," said Kin with a grin.

My eye twitched.

"Is now really the time?" I growled.

"Cousin, theres always time for perverse comments," said Kin.

"I think I prefered you when you were worried I'd cut you loose," I growled.

"Nope, you love me as I am."

I rolled my eyes as we jumped out of the way of the Puppet Kankuro had just sent flying at us.

"Hey, stop ignoring us!" snapped the Puppeteer as his sisters took off through the trees once more.

"Shino…"

"Got it Sasuke, you two get after the others," said Shino.

Kin and I nodded and took off through the trees once more, evading Kankuro's attempted attack before Shino attacked the Puppeteer. It didn't take long for us to catch up with the other two Sand Siblings where we found Ilia shoving Tamari away from her.

"G-get away from me!" shouted Ilia, "I can't keep him back!"

"Oh, that can't be good," I said.

I was proven correct when Ilia let out a scream as her gord and the sand in the area around her erupted.

" **I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!"** roared a voice that was most definitely not Ilia's, **"I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU MYSELF!"**

The sand continued to rise, taking on the form of a massive tanuki with a huge, lower jaw and dark blue markings over its body.

" **Sasuke Uchiha, I'll crush you first!"** he roared, **"Then I will crush this pathetic little Village and those arrogant bastards who dared sealed me away!"**

"Urg, thats a pain," I grumbled, "Kin, you might want to step back. Take Tamari and get out of here."

"Got it," said Kin, leaping over to where the Wind user was staring at the Tanuki in horror.

I bit my thumb and flipped through the needed signs.

"SUMMONING JUTSU!"

There was a huge puff of smoke that cleared to reveal Gabriel.

" **Hmm, oh, the Ichibi,"** said Gabriel, **"Its been awhile since I saw it. Hmm, its changed a lot."**

"Actually, thats not the Ichibi," I said, "Apparently at some point one of its Jinchuriki bound his soul to it."

" **Ah, I see,"** said Gabriel, **"So, you have a plan?"**

"I do," I said, "But I'll need you to hold him. I guarantee that he's not going to take this lying down."

" **Very well, I shall put my trust in you for this,"** said Gabriel, taking a stance with lightning sparking around his fingers and ears.

"Great, in that case, lets go," I said with a grin.

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

 **And with that I'm done for now. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but this is as good a place as any to leave it.**

 **I hope you liked the fight between Sasuke and Ilia.**

 **Shuriken Snow Storm is an ice version of Guren's Hexagonal Shuriken Wild Dance. Bunny Blades creates a blade of Chakra that can be infused with elemental Chakra and is used in conjunction with the Rabbit Taijutsu Style.**

 **Coco is based on Lopmon. Obviously.**

 **Next time, Sasuke and Gabriel vs Shukaku. Until then, please leave a review!**


	24. Chapter 24

Outsider Chronicals: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 24

" **LIGHTNING SPEAR!"** shouted Gabriel, unleashing a huge lance of lightning that was larger around than me and taller than the Hokage tower.

" **Feh, pathetic,"** growled Shukaku, **"Wind Style: Air Bullet!"**

He punched his stomach and spat a massive ball of air at us. The bullet collided with the lightning lance and easily dispersed the attack due to the natural elemental advantage.

" **Che,"** grumbled Gabriel, leaping over the wind bullet and firing another lightning bolt, **"I hope your plan works because I won't be able to beat him in a protracted fight."**

"Don't worry, it'll work," I said, "Get me close enough to see his eyes."

" **Understood."**

Gabriel landed on all fours and darted forwards, grabbing Shukaku by the ears and forcing its head up to look at me.

"Mangekyo Sharingan, Tsukuyomi!" I shouted as, for the first time ever, I tapped into the deadly power of the Mangekyou.

My eyes burned as the Tomoe spun and morphed into the crossed infinity signs. The Shukaku let out a howl of anger as it saw the evolved eyes, but it was to late as I drove my mind forwards behind the illusion like a lance. The combination of Tsukuyomi and mental attack shattered through Shukaku's mental defences like so much wet paper. The world spun around me, seeming to run like wet paint in the rain, before it solidified again to a very different landscape to the Leaf Village.

It was a massive desert at sunset, stretching out as far as the eye could see. I was stood on the top of a tall, pyramid like structure with a number of pillars set at regular intervals around the edge. Carved into the floor as a massive sygal that looked like a yin yang with the two halves separated while the pillars were decorated with pictographs I didn't recognise. In the middle of the area was a small dius where an empty frame sat that looked like it used to hold something.

"Well, this is an interesting place," I said, gazing around at the incredible scenery.

As I did, I heard the sound of clanking chains and looked up. Chained between two pillars by black chains wrapped around her arms was a small girl clad in white and tan robes like one would wear in the desert. I frowned and jumped, bouncing off the pillars until I reached the same level as the girl and summoned my sword, slicing through the chains and grabbing the girl as I dropped back down to the ground. Once I landed, I gently lay the unconscious girl down, removing my scarf and folding it up to tuck under her head as a makeshift pillow. As I did, I took a closer look at the girl. She had dark skin marked with light blue markings, rust coloured hair with a pair of round, furry ears sticking out the top of her head and a round, ringed tail emerging from her behind.

"So, I guess this must be the Seal and thats Ichibi," I said, "Somehow, I'm not surprised. Now, where are Ilia and the Shukaku?"

I moved to stand to go look for them, but before I could, the girl suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"Who...are you?" she said in a cracked voice, opening her eyes to reveal pained, yellow eyes.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," I said, "I take it you're the real Ichibi?"

"Y-yes, I am," said the girl, "I-I don't know how you got here, but you need to go! You don't stand a chance against Shukaku, not when he has my power!"

I smiled.

"Don't underestimate my power," I said, "While you're right, I wouldn't stand a chance on my own in the outside world, in here is another story. Especially with these."

I flashed my Mangekyo. Ichibi gasped, her eyes wide.

"T-those eyes...they're just like Indra-nii's!" she gasped, "D-does that mean you can use the same abilities as him?"

"Mostly," I said, "Although I can't really train with them. If I use them in the outside world, they'd damage my eyesight. In here though, this body is just a projection, so I can use them as I wish."

That was something I'd learnt from the Rabbits. While the use of the Mangekyo would damage my eyes in my physical body, if I ended up fighting on a mental or spiritual plane, I could use them as I pleased with no ill effects beyond the Chakra requirements.

"Then you might be able to beat him," she said, slowly pushing herself up, despite the obvious pain she was in, "Please, you have to stop him! If he's not defeated, he'll consume Ilia completely!"

"What about you?" I asked, "I mean, you have to be suffering just as much. I doubt having your power stolen by a madman can be pleasant."

"I don't care about me," said Ichibi, "I can handle a bit of suffering and I'm thousands of years old. Ilia's just a little girl! I don't want her to suffer any more because I was to weak to stop the nut from latching onto my Soul! Please, I don't care if you end up destroying me, just save Ilia."

She bowed deeply, begging me to save her container. I stared at the weakest Tailed Beast, trying to absorb the fact that I had a millennia old being capable of destroying an entire village if released was begging me to save the person who was basically her jailor. Then again, this was hardly a canon world and Naruto regularly ends up sleeping with the Kyuubi in a good number of stories, so I guess I shouldn't be totally shock. Huh, I wonder what the Kyuubi's like in this world… I shook of that thought and smiled, reaching out to rub Ichibi between her ears.

"Don't worry Ichibi," I said, "I don't intend to leave you in a bind."

The Tailed Beast looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"You don't really think I'd leave that bastard alive after everything he's done, do you?" I asked, "Even if you had turned out to be a crazy, Human hating Monster, I'd still have freed you from him. Of course, the fact your a cute Tanuki girl helps."

Ichibi blushed brightly at the compliment, before that blush vanished as the blood drained from her face as a huge shadow appeared over us.

" **Aw, how sweet,"** growled a deep voice, **"Unfortunately, you won't be able to keep that promise. DIE!"**

I smirked as the Shukaku swung one massive arm, aiming to crush me. The attack hit, blasting the temple to smithereens.

" **Peh, pathetic,"** growled the Shukaku, **"Now to finish that Rabbit and crush the Leaf."**

He turned away to leave the Mindscape. Before he could though, something grabbed his tail.

"Where do you think your going?" I asked, "I'm not done with you. Not by a long shot."

" **WHAT?"** roared the Shukaku, spinning around.

Ichibi and I were completely unharmed, having be protected by the blow by a glowing blue rib cage from which a skeletal arm emerged and was holding the Shukaku's tail.

"Let me show you what I can really do," I said, "SUSANOO!"

Quick as a flash, the ribcage increased in size, gaining a second arm and a skull as muscles appeared over the bones as its hands slammed into the ground and seemed to push itself up, lifting me with it as armour began to form over its body. Unlike the Full Body Susanoo depicted in the Anime, my Susanoo was clad in western style plate armour, with a winged helmet, a sheathed, western style longsword and a diamond shaped kite shield on its left arm, bearing a crest depicting six wings on the front in a circle that seemed to be hiding something. From its back emerged three pairs of massive wings that seemed to be on fire.

The Susanoo grabbed Shukaku's tail in its other hand and spun, throwing the Monster across the desert and away from the destroyed temple. With the threat temporarily removed, I turned to look down at Ichibi, who was staring up at my Susanoo with awe.

"Wait here," I said, "I don't think this will take long."

I turned away as Ichibi nodded and crouched, spreading my Susanoo's wings. I took off, swooping over the desert towards where Shukaku was struggling to his feet, drawing my sword as I went. The weapon had a dark, nearly black blade with a golden cross shaped hilt with black decorations, a black wrapped hilt and a white gem serving as the pommel. It was also very, very sharp to the point that it was supernatural because I could literally feel it cutting through the air it passed through.

" **DAMN YOU BRAT!"** roared Shukaku as he finally found his feet again, **"I'LL CRUSH YOU!"**

He swung his arm, sending tendrils of sand from the desert flying towards me. I lifted my shield, blocking the attacks that broke against the Chakra construct with little to no effect. I ignored the useless attacks and continued my charge. Shukaku halted his attacks as I closed in and jumped, just barely avoiding my attack that left a visible gash in the air and sliced through the ground like a hot knife through butter.

" **W-what the hell!?"** gasped Shukaku as the air rushed back into the vacuum create by my sword slash, **"What kind of sword is that?!"**

I grinned.

"You know, I have no idea," I said, "But I do know that it's the blade that will cut through your bonds to this world! YAH!"

I dashed forwards, the tip of my sword aimed at where his heart would be. Shukaku brought up his arm to block, but the tip of my sword simply sank into the limb, passing through it with no problem and continued on its path. Shukaku's eyes widened and he threw his arm out, knocking the blade out of its path. I scowled and flicked my sword, slicing Shukaku's hand off. The fake Tailed Beast let out a roar of pain and fury as the sliced hand turned to sand and the stump somehow began to drip black blood, staining the desert sands.

" **W-what the hell?"** gasped the Tanuki, **"Why can't I regenerate?"**

"Heh, this sword is cool," I said with a grin.

Shukaku growled, his eyes blazing with fury

" **Why you little…"** snarled Shukaku.

I ignored the angry Tanuki in favor of readying my sword for another attack. Shukaku growled, before he gave a dark grin.

"What are you grinning at?" I asked.

" **Oh nothing much,"** said Shukaku, **"I just think that you should think twice before attacking me again."**

I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh? And whys that?"

Shukaku gave a dark laugh and lowered his head. A spot on his forehead ripped slightly as something emerged from it. That something was Ilia's limp body.

" **You'd best be careful,"** said Shukaku as Ilia sank back into Shukaku's body, **"You never know where she might be, waiting to catch that sword of yours. Oh, and even if this is a Mindscape, if she dies here, she'll die outside as well."**

I gritted my teeth in fury.

"You damn coward!" I shouted.

" **You call it cowardice, I call it pragmatism,"** said Shukaku smugly, **"I know you're a bleeding heart who wouldn't do anything to hurt your precious friends. Well now that outlook's going to be the death of you!"**

He let out a roar and charged me, slamming his remaining hand against my shield and forcing me back. He let out a laugh as he pressed his advantage.

" **HA, you can't even move to counter!"** he crowed, **"So long as I have this brat as a shield, you can't do anything for risk of hurting your precious friend!"**

I scowled and shoved Shukaku away with my shield and jumped back to give myself room to try to figure out what to do now. I couldn't attack or Shukaku would just use Ilia as a shield and I couldn't remain on the defencive forever or Shukaku would eventually get through my Susanoo.

" _Damn it, what do I do!?"_ I thought, _"All this will be for nothing if I can't save Ilia! I need to find a way to get her out of there, but how can I do that? Damn it, I have no idea what to do!"_

"Sasuke!"

I jumped and turned my head slightly to see Ichibi stood on my Susanoos shoulder.

"When did you…?"

"Let me help!" she said, ignoring my question.

"How?" I asked, "I thought he had stolen your power?"

"Not all of it," said Ichibi, "I still have some left, enough to help out at least. I can get Ilia out of him so you can attack freely."

I eyed the Tailed Beast for a moment, before I nodded.

"Alright, but be careful."

Ichibi smirked.

"Don't worry kid, he won't get me," she said, "Just keep him busy."

I nodded as she jumped off my shoulder and vanished into the sands.

"Easier said than done when I can't attack," I grumbled, "I kinda wish I could push him back without risking hurting Ilia…"

At that thought, my shield seemed to shake slightly and the six wings shifted, slowly rotating so they pointed outwards in the shape of a star and revealed what they were hiding underneath. Immediately, Shukaku recoiled with a yell of horror. I blinked in confusion and tilted my shield so I could see what was on it to make him do that. Immediately I wished I hadn't as my Sharingan burned the sight into my memory permanently. Embossed on the shield beneath the wings was a face so horrible that I was surprised it didn't give me a heart attack. It was the face of a woman, although I'm pretty sure no human woman could have tusks and fangs that pulled her lips into a permanent sneer, bulging eyes and coiling snakes instead of hair. The whole thing was not only hideous but also seemed to radiate a sense of fear that only made looking at the shield more difficult. And I was holding the damn thing!

"Alright, that'll work," I said, turning the shield away from me as quickly as possible.

Shukaku hissed as the shield was once more pointed in his direction and looked like he was torn between wanting to attack me and wanting to run like the wind. I slowly advanced on the massive sand beast, sword held at the ready and hideous shield pointed firmly in Shukaku's direction, shifting it as he kept trying to dart out of the way of its powerful aura. I quickly lost track of how long we kept up the dance, but it came to an abrupt stop when Shukaku suddenly froze and started looking around wildly.

" _Sasuke, I've got her!"_ said Ichibi's voice in my head, _"Take him out now!"_

"Got it," I said, readying my sword, "Now, lets see how tough you are without your Human shield!"

I raised my sword and flapped my wings, sending my Susanoo flying at Shukaku at incredible speed, the tip of my sword leading the way. Shukaku let out a curse and tried to move, but before he could, the sand around him suddenly erupted into tendrils that wrapped around him and held him in place as I thrust my sword forwards. The tip hit the monsters forehead and entered his skull, passing straight through and out the other side, now coated in black blood. Shukaku froze, his blazing yellow eyes wide with shock as they faded. Then a crack appeared in his head. Then another, and another, spreading out from where my sword had penetrated his head and over his body, releasing thin beams of yellow light as they widened and increased in number. Then, the body suddenly exploded in a brilliant flash of light that knocked me flying, my Susanoo dissipating from the sheer impact.

I did my best to control my flight, but I was travelling too quickly. As I spun through the air, I caught sight of the pyramid where I had started out, now inexplicably repaired and coming towards me at incredible speed. I scowled and gathered my Chakra, planning to try using a Jutsu to stop my flight before I splattered against the stone which I was sure wouldn't be good for me, even on an astral plane. Unfortunately, I was travelling too fast to even think about slowing down enough to save myself before I went splat. I couldn't even focus enough to disconnect the link!

Suddenly, a wall of sand shot up in front of me. I slammed into the wall, which bowed inward like it was made of fabric, arresting my momentum in such a way that I only ended up with minor bruises, before it slowly lowered me to the surface of the pyramid where Ichibi and a still unconscious Ilia were waiting.

"Are you OK?" asked Ichibi as the sand dropped me in front of her.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Was that you?"

Ichibi nodded.

"I wasn't about to let you die after you destroyed Shukaku," she said, "Thank you for that by the way."

"Awe, it was nothing," I said, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment, before I sobered, "What about Ilia, is she OK?"

Ichibi looked down at the girl sadly.

"Physically, shes OK," she said, "But the pressure on her mind from Shukaku's possession was to much."

"Will she wake up?" I asked, kneeling down beside my friend from the Sand.

"Eventually," said Ichibi as she gently stroked Ilia's rust coloured hair, "She's strong, she won't let something like this keep her down for long. Right now, she just needs rest."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, you've done more than enough," said Ichibi, smiling at me, "With Shukaku gone, she's free, hell, we both are."

I smiled.

"Hey, I told you I'd help, didn't I?" I asked, "I never could leave a pretty girl in a bind."

I got to my feet.

"Well, I should be going," I said, "I need to get back to my body. See you around Ichibi."

I vanished, leaving a blushing Tailed Beast behind.

 **And thats that done. I hope you liked the battle!**

 **Just to be clear, the ONLY place he can use the Mangyeko safely (until he gains the EMS at least) is the Astral plane and even when he gets the EMS, he won't be able to just pull his Full Body Susanoo out of his ass first try.**

 **The Ichibi is a girl. Surprise surprise.**

 **And with that, I do believe I have nothing else to say, so a nice short AN this time. Until next time, please leave a review!**


	25. Chapter 25

Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **Holy cow, its been a long time! I wonder if I can even remember where I was planning to go with this...awe well, I got the basics and a few pages worth of notes, so lets see what happens from here. Enjoy!**

Chapter 25

With the Shukaku defeated, the battle quickly wound down. The fight had already been taken right out of the Sand Siblings, so they left immediately after I confirmed that the evil spirit that had been possessing Ilia had been removed and Kankuro had managed to pry a sobbing Temari off me. Unfortunately, while we had been successful and the invasion had been beaten off with far greater ease than in canon thanks to Kin's intelligence, some things never change. One of those was the death of the Hokage. Unfortunately, not even the extra preparation had averted that as, being a low ranking pawn, Kin hadn't known about Orochimaru's plans to use the Edo Tensei. The Hokage's bodyguards had fought valiantly, but they were no match for the First and Second Hokage's might.

* * *

It had been about a week since the invasion and the repairs were well underway. Thanks to the forewarning, the attackers had been prevented from doing too much damage to the Village, although the Giant Snakes had crushed a few districts at the edge of the Village where they had broken through the wall. Currently, I was making my way through the village towards a teahouse where Kakashi had requested I meet him. I arrived to find him already present, along with Kurenai and Asuma. I narrowed my eyes as I caught sight of a flicker of movement from inside the shop. Hmm, looks like its time for that event.

"Did you need something Kakashi?" I asked as I walked up to my teacher.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," said Kakashi as Kurenai and Asuma vanished, "I understand you fought the Shukaku during the Invasion?"

I nodded.

"I did, but since it was fought on the Astral Plain, all I got from it was a headache and exhaustion," I said, "A little rest and I'm as good as new."

"Thats good to know," said Kakashi, reaching into his pouch, "I also wanted to give you this."

He handed me a scroll. I opened it and found that it contained a number of different techniques from various different elements, as well as some information about some Secondary Elements.

"I thought you might want to expand your Jutsu repertoire," said Kakashi, "The Uchiha clan library has a lot, but I noticed it was lacking in information on Secondary Elements."

"Thanks," I said, "I'm gonna keep working on basic elements for now, but this'll come in handy."

Kakashi gave an eye smile and pushed off the wall.

"Glad I could help," he said, "Sorry I can't stay and chat, but we Jonin are being kept rather busy at the moment. Ta!"

He vanished.

"I'm sure," I muttered, "Eh, might as well get some sweets."

I stepped into the shop.

* * *

After buying a box of sweets, I returned to the Uchiha compound where I found Kin reading a scroll on the porch with a cup of tea next to her.

"Hey Sasuke," she said as I approached, "What did Kakashi want?"

"Just to make sure I was OK," I said, "Oh, and I picked these up."

I put down the box of sweets next to her.

"Help yourself," I said, "I need to go do something."

"OK."

I left the house grounds and headed to the Uchiha meeting hall. I'd been putting this off for a while, but I'd reached the point where I could read the Ancient Language well enough that I could translate the stone tablet under the Naka shrine. Now however, I had plenty of time to examine it.

"Lets see," I muttered as I crouched down in front of the tablet and let the glowing orb I summoned light up the stone.

I couldn't read what the stone said exactly, but I was able to get the gist of it. Near as I could tell, the stone contained directions and instructions for those that came after to be able to find wherever the creators of the stone had gone. Where that place was, I have no idea, but the directions appeared to be nautical, so it was somewhere across the sea. With that done, I straightened and moved to leave. Before I did however, I noticed that there were more runes carved into the wall behind the tablet. I narrowed my eyes and waved the light closer so I could see them. The runes weren't in the Ancient Language and certainly weren't kanji. However, they did look familiar.

"Great, another mystery to solve," I groaned.

I turned away from them with a sigh.

"Well, nothing I can do for now," I grumbled as I dismissed the magical witchlight and made my way back up to the surface, "For now though, I need to go and see Big Brother."

I smirked.

"I wonder how this is gonna go?"

* * *

It was surprisingly easy to sneak out of the Village and even easier to track down Naruto since I already knew that he and Jiraiya would be in Shukuba Town. The 'pleasure town' as it was known wasn't far from the Village, only an hour by Ninja travel, which probably meant that Itachi and Kisame were already there, so I had to move quickly.

When I arrived in Shukuba Town, I paused for a moment and closed my eyes, stretching out my senses as far as they would go. Considering how powerful my targets were, it took me less than a second to locate them. Naruto and the two Akatsuki members glowed like small stars against a backdrop of dull sparks that were those with little Chakra. I could also sense Jiraiya who seemed to be heading back towards where the others were. Still, I had no intention of staying put. After all, it was only Sasuke's intervention that prevented Naruto from losing a leg.

With that in mind, I took off in the direction I could sense the energy sources in. I ran up the wall and peaked in the window of the building they were in. Sure enough, there was Naruto staring down the two Akatsuki members as Kisame threatened him with Samehada. I took a deep breath and summoned my sword, opening the window with my other hand.

"Alright, lets go," I muttered and vaulted through the window.

"What the...GAH!" yelped Kisame as my sword nearly took his head off.

Of course, he wasn't an S rank Missing Nin for nothing and he avoided the strike with no problem.

"Wha...Sasuke, what are you doing here?!" gasped Naruto.

"I overheard some Jonin talking about some strangers who visited the Village looking for you," I said, "I intended to warn you, but it looks like I was just in time."

"Yeah, just about," said Naruto, "By the way, do you know that guy? He's got the Sharingan to."

"As it happens, I do," I said, "Its certainly been a while, hasn't it Itachi?"

"Hello Sasuke," said Itachi.

"Hey Itachi, who is this guy?" asked Kisame.

"He's no one important," said Itachi, "Just my little brother."

I smirked.

"Ohh, thats harsh Big Brother," I said.

"I was under the impression the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out," said Kisame.

I slid into a ready stance.

"Itachi, you told me that you wanted me to be the one to kill you," I said.

Itachi just stared at me, but I could see a very slight twitch in his eye and fingers. Not enough to get a read on what he was actually thinking, but enough to tell me that my comment got some kind of reaction.

"You told me to hate you," I continued, "To use that hate to become strong."

"I did," said Itachi, "So tell me Sasuke, have you done as I asked?"

I smirked.

"Hell no!" I said.

Itachi jerked back in shock.

"Hatred and revenge do nothing but spill blood," I said, "I won't allow my strength to come from a desire for revenge and I certainly don't intend to live my life solely to kill another! I've got too much self respect for that."

Itachi stared at me for a moment and I swear I saw a flicker of something in his eyes, before he closed his eyes.

"I see," he said.

"Of course, right now you're targeting my teammate," I said, lifting my sword, "So if you want to fight, then bring it on!"

"Enough of this!" yelled Kisame, raising Samehada, "All this talk is getting boring!"

He brought it down, only for the Greatsword to spark off Naruto's shield as he stepped between me and Kisame.

"Its not gonna be that easy," said Naruto, glaring up at the Sharkman.

Kisame narrowed his eyes and gave a toothy grin.

"Oh? Is that so?" he sneered, "You two don't honestly think you can beat us, do you?"

I smirked.

"Nope, but we don't have to," I said, "Because help has just arrived."

Kisame looked like he was about to ask what I meant by that, right before a massive toad came barreling down the hall and kicked him in the face.

"Next time you want to distract someone, make sure you do some research first," said Jiraiya, "I don't get picked up by girls, I do the picking up! I would never fall for such an obvious trick!"

"Bullshit!" shouted Naruto, "She just winked at you and you went along! Damn pervy sage!"

"Hey, don't call me that in front of other people!" shouted Jiraiya.

I glanced at the unconscious woman over the Sannins shoulder.

"Hmm, using a Genjutsu to get her to act as a destraction for the pervert," I mused, "Smart. Kinda low though, don't you think?"

Itachi didn't respond and Jiraiya looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"A distraction?" asked Naruto, "Why would they need that?"

"I would have thought it was obvious," I said, "They're after you Naruto."

Everyone looked at me in surprise.

"How in the world do you know that?" asked Jiraiya.

"Well, since they're here and used a distraction to get you out of the way, I would have thought it was obvious," I drawled.

"But, why me?" asked Naruto.

"Oh, its not you they want," I said, "Or at least, I don't think it is. No, they're after the oversized plush toy you've got in your gut."

OK, now that got a reaction and a half. Naruto and Jiraiya looked like I'd just spontaneously turned into a six foot ferret and danced the cancan, while Kisame looked amused and Itachi lifted an eyebrow.

"H-how…?" gasped Naruto.

I laughed.

"I can sense life forces," I said, "It wasn't that hard to pick out the other presence in you. There are other reasons, but they can wait for another time."

I turned back to the two Akatsuki members.

"So, am I right?" I asked.

"You are," said Itachi, "Our orders are to captured the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, Naruto Uzumaki by any means necessary."

I smirked and lowered my stance.

"Well then, we're gonna have a problem. I have no intention of allowing you to take my friend. Not only that, but if you're after the Kyuubi, eventually you'll be going after the other Tailed Beasts as well."

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And what if we are?"

He tilted his head to one side as I dashed forwards and aimed a stab at his eye.

"I will not allow you to harm my friends," I said as a small cut opened on Itachi's cheek.

The Missing Nin slowly reached up and wiped away the blood that leaked from the cut.

"Impressive," he said, "But you still aren't strong enough."

His fist slammed into my gut hard enough that it would put me down for a good while, only for my body to splash over him.

"A water clone?" muttered Itachi.

"SUMMONING JUTSU!"

Itachi turned to the end of the hall where the cloud of smoke from my Summoning slowly cleared to reveal a pair of human sized rabbits, one male, the other female. The male rabbit was the one that looked most like a rabbit, with a normal sized body and rabbit features. His limbs were long, creating the illusion that he was the same size as a Human, and he was wearing a frilly shirt, a dark cape, and a cavalier hat with holes cut in for his ears. His weapon was a long, double headed spear.

The female was far more Human looking, although not to the point of Black Rabbit as she still had a rabbit-like face and white fur. She had blond hair and was wearing a short orange dress with a green cape and brown, high-heeled boots. Her weapons were a pair of clawed gloves that resembled rabbit paws. She wasn't very tall, only barely taller than Naruto.

"What the...where are we?" asked the female Rabbit, looking around in confusion.

"I believe we've been Summoned," said the male, glancing back at me, "Hello again Sasuke, its been a while."

"Three weeks is not a long time Randolph," I said, "Now, are you and Carrot alright to help me out?"

"With pleasure!" said Carrot with a smirk, slipping into a fighting stance as lightning crackled around her claws.

"Hnn," said Randolph, spinning his spear as the blades lit up with green Wind Chakra.

"Rabbits? You intend to fight us with Rabbits?!" demanded Kisame, "This is gonna be even easier than I thought!"

He grabbed Samehada in a two handed grip.

"One rabbit stew, comin up!" He yelled as he prepared to charge.

A moment later, he paused when he noticed that I was alone.

"Wait, where'd they…?"

WHAM!

It was only his finely honed instincts that prevented the two Summons from splitting the fishman in half as he whipped up Samehada just in time to block the fist and spear blade that were aimed at his stomach and head.

"Don't underestimate us Sushi boy!" said Carrot.

"Or it could be the last thing you ever do," said Randolph.

Meanwhile, Itachi and I were staring one another down.

"I admit, you're stronger than I was expecting," said Itachi, "Those Summons of yours are quite strong."

I smirked.

"Thanks," I said.

"However…"

I stiffened as Itachi opened his eyes and revealed his Mangekyo.

"You've still got a long way to go. Tsukuyomi."

"Like hell!" I growled, "Mangekyo Sharingan, Tsukuyomi!"

Itachi's eyes widened as my own Sharingan morphed into its Mangekyo form and our techniques clashed. Normally, as the stronger and more experienced Ninja, Itachi's Jutsu would have won out, even in a battle of Genjutsu, however, I'd also added a mental attack to mine, similar to what I'd done in the fight against Shukaku. The world swirled and turned red as we found ourselves stood on what appeared to be a completely black lake with a white sky and red moon.

"Well, that was unexpected," I said, looking around.

"Sasuke, what..?" asked Itachi, looking utterly confused.

"You want to know how I can have the Mangekyo, right?" I asked, "Well, thats a little hard to explain…"

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"Who did you kill?" he demanded.

"No one," I said, "I have no idea why my Mangekyo activated, but I've had it since my Sharingan awoke."

Itachis eyes widened.

"But thats…"

"Impossible, I know," I said, "Then again, considering everything thats been happening lately, impossible is a relative term."

Itachi's eyes narrowed again.

"Since we're alone here, perhaps you can answer me a question," he said, "Why are you not seeking revenge?"

I sighed and flopped down into the chair that formed out of the water behind me.

"A few reasons," I said, "Many of them I listed out there before we started fighting, but I do have another reason."

"Oh?"

I remained silent for a moment, inwardly debating whether or not I should tell him. After all, I hadn't even told my teammates. After a few moments, I sighed deeply.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said, "So I think I'll show you instead."

And with that, I opened my mind and Itachi went rigid. His eyes went so wide I was worried that they were going to pop out of his head as he was exposed to the entire Naruto Anime, countless Fanfictions and my own experiences from this life in the space of a few seconds. Yeah, I'd be surprised if he doesn't throw up after this. A couple of moments later, Itachi went limp and fell to his knees.

"What…what was that?" he asked.

"That was my memory," I said, "As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly what you'd call normal."

"That is an understatement," said Itachi, "So I guess you know?"

"That our Clan was plotting a Coup? Yep, knew it from the start."

"I see," muttered Itachi, before he smiled, "I guess I can't really expect you to not act on your knowledge, can I?"

"Not on your life," I said.

Itachi chuckled.

"You haven't changed a bit Sasuke," he said.

Itachi let out a sigh and leaned back, a contented smile on his face.

"You know, this takes a great weight off my mind," he said, "But even so...I can't return."

"I know," I said, "But you should know that I have no intention of hunting you down. Plus, if you can find a Medical ninja willing to do it, I certainly don't mind swapping eyes."

Itachi looked surprised, before he snorted.

"Of course you know about the EMS," he said, "I'm alright for now though."

I nodded.

"Fair enough. But if you change your mind, you only need to ask."

Itachi nodded.

"I will," he said, "However, for now we must go our separate ways. And the next time we meet, it will likely be as enemies."

"Thats fine," I said, "So long as you know, we'll always be brothers."

Itachi smiled and held up his hand, poking me in the middle of the forehead.

"Always," he said.

I closed my eyes and broke the connection, causing the world to swirl and reform, just in time to see Jiraiya summon the Firebreathing Toad's stomach.

"Kisame, we're leaving," said Itachi.

"What?" growled Kisame, looking up from where he was struggling to hold off my Rabbits, "But we can take em!"

"We don't have time for a protracted fight," said Itachi, "Especially not with Jiraiya here."

"Tch," sneered Kisame, "You got lucky bunnys, looks like you won't be made into stew today!"

The blue skinned swordsman swung Samehada, forcing Carrot and Randolph back, before following Itachi as he ran off.

"You can't escape!" shouted Jiraiya, "Not from in...huh?"

The Toad sage jumped to his feet and sprinted round the corner, only to freeze when he saw the hole Itachi had burnt in the wall with Amaterasu.

"What the...how did..?" he started.

"Amaterasu, the Black Flames," I said, "Its a secret technique very few can master. The flames can burn anything and cannot be extinguished until it burns itself out."

"Is that so…" muttered Jiraiya as he pulled out a sealing scroll, "Well, I can't leave it, so lets try…"

He unrolled the scroll and activated it, sealing the flames within. While he was doing that, I turned to my Summons.

"Thanks for the help guys," I said.

"It was my pleasure," said Randolph, sweeping his hat off in an elegant bow.

"Yep, it was fun," said Carrot, "Make sure you summon us next time you fight that guy! I wanna show him that Rabbits are not to be taken lightly!"

"Will do," I said, "See ya."

The two Rabbits vanished in a puff of smoke as Jiraiya dismissed his summoned stomach.

"Are you OK Sasuke?" asked Jiraiya, "You and Itachi were staring at each other for a while. Did he get you in a Genjutsu?"

"Yeah, but I was able to get around it," I said, "Turns out, mastering how to properly defend ones Mind can be very helpful for avoiding Genjutsu."

"I'll take your word for it," said the old Sage, "Now, exactly what…"

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

WHAM!

He was cut off by a sandled foot slamming into the side of his head.

 **And I think I'll leave it there. A slightly longer chapter than I'd normally right, but hey, it has been a while. I'm still likely going to be focusing on Split/Second Hero, but now I got my mojo back for this story, I'll be working on it as well.**

 **I hope I did a good job of the scene between Itachi and Sasuke. Perhaps I could have had Itachi react with a bit more shock to the fact that Sasuke basically knows so much crap about a possible future that is now well and truly derailed, but I put it down to years of training in suppressing ones emotion. He'll probably go home and have a massive breakdown now.**

 **Carrot and Rudolph are based on characters from One Piece. I haven't actually got that far yet as I keep getting Anime fatigue from how long the Arcs are, so I only swiped their appearance and names.**

 **Anyway, time to sign out. I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!**


	26. Chapter 26

Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say, so lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 26

Once Guy had finished profusely apologizing for kicking Jiraiya and we had talked Naruto down from chasing after the Akatsuki members, Guy and I started heading back to the Leaf.

"Tell me young Sasuke, what possessed you to come out here alone?" asked Guy as we sprinted through the trees.

"I overheard some Jonin talking about Itachi coming back to the Village and that he was probably after Naruto," I said, "I originally intended to just warn them, let them know that they'd be coming. I wasn't expecting to run into Itachi."

"Even so, that was a very foolish thing to do," said Guy.

We fell silent as we continued towards home. When we arrived, I received a scolding from Anko and Kin about sneaking off on my own, especially since I was going after a Missing Nin like Itachi. I spent a long time dodging throwing weapons from Anko after that while Kin used me as a training dummy for her Genjutsu. Apparently worrying my female live ins was a very bad idea.

* * *

Other than that, nothing much happened for the next week, other than the normal training I did to keep my skills sharp and helping out with the repairs that were still going on. They were nearly done though and the people in charge were hopeful that they'd be done by the time Jiraiya returned with Tsunade.

As it turned out, they were right, if barely. We had barely finished taking the scaffolding down when Jiraiya and Naruto returned with Tsunade and Shizune in toe. I was helping out with some repairs along the main road when they walked past. When I spotted them, I quickly put down the poles I was carrying and hopped off the roof and ran up to them.

"Hey Naruto!" I called as I did.

"Huh? Oh, hi Sasuke," he mumbled, looking away awkwardly.

I blinked. Well, that was unexpected.

"Whats up?" I asked, "It looks like you completed your mission, so whats got you so down?"

"Its nothing," said Naruto as he stepped around me and continued towards the Hokage mansion.

I stared after him, now utterly confused.

"Don't take it personally," said Jiraiya, "The trip has been rather trying for him. Plus, your reveal that you know about the fox probably doesn't help."

"Oh really?" I asked, "Right, excuse me, I need to go beat some sense into my teammate."

I bowed slightly to a surprised looking Tsunade and marched after Naruto.

"Right, come on you," I said, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him after me.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" spluttered Naruto, "Sasuke!"

I ignored him and kept dragging him until we reached TG7 where I tossed him against the stumps and glared at him with my arms crossed. Naruto flinched and looked away.

"So, what do you want?" he muttered, "Is this about the fox?"

"Yes," I said, making Naruto flinch again, "Let me guess, you think that just because I know about that fuzzball I'm gonna start treating you like trash or something?"

Naruto's silence was all the answer I needed. I took a deep breath, before…

WHAM!

Naruto slammed face first into the ground, holding his head in pain from where I'd just punched him.

"You are the biggest idiot I have ever met!" I snapped, "I've known about the fox for months you fool! Ever since I started learning how to detect others from Angela and sensed an extra presence inside of you!"

"B-but…" started Naruto, staring at me wide eyed.

"No, you don't get to say anything you moron," I snapped, "I'm not finished!"

Naruto obediently shut his mouth.

"The fact I've known for a while is irrelevant," I continued, "What I want to know is why you think that me knowing you're a Jinchuriki would change our friendship? After everything we've been through, do you really think so lowly of me?"

Naruto openly gaped at me for a moment, before he looked down guiltily.

"I-I don't know," he said, "Its just...I've never had anyone who didn't already know accept me for it. Most people seem to think I am the Fox."

I snorted.

"Ignore those idiots," I said, "Theres no way the Fourth would balls up the Seal that much. Besides, who cares if you were the Fox? Anyone who would think you are some rampaging monster clearly doesn't know the first thing about you. Besides, I have to wonder if maybe Kyuubi is just misunderstood. Ichibi was nice enough when I met her."

Naruto jerked and stared at me wide eyed.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" I asked, "When I helped Ilia with her possession problem I met the Ichibi inside her. Shes actually pretty cute."

Naruto stared at me for a moment, before he burst out laughing. I stared at him incredulously.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked.

"O-oh, its not you," he snickered, "Its...well, maybe it would be better if I showed you. Can you do the thing you did with Ilia to enter my mindscape?"

I raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. I reached out and placed my fingers on Naruto's temples and closed my eyes. A moment later, I opened them to find myself in a sewer.

"This is your mindscape?" I asked as I let my hands drop, "Man, your even more messed up than I thought."

Naruto just smirked and took a few steps back. I was about to ask why, right before something soft, warm and red slammed into me and knocked me clean off my feet.

"What the...oh for fucks sake!"

The reason for my exasperation was the busty fox-girl in a red kimono currently hugging the stuffing out of me. Yup, apparently the Kyuubi was a girl here too. I tilted my head and glared up at Naruto, who was laughing his ass off.

"Hey, Kyuubi right?" I asked, "Do you mind letting me up?"

The Kyuubi let out a startled eep and hopped off me, blushing brightly. I got to my feet, absently noting that, despite having been laying in water, I was completely dry, before I took a better look at the Kyuubi. She was a very attractive woman who looked like she was in her late teens, with long, orange hair that perfectly matched the twitching fox ears on top of her head and the nine tails that emerged from her perfectly formed behind. Her eyes were a warm shade of red and she was wearing a Shrine Maiden's outfit.

"Um, sorry about that," she said, "I just…"

She cleared her throat and shuffled her feet awkwardly.

"Its fine," I said, "Although I am curious as to why you hugged me."

"W-well, you saved my sister," she said, "Ichibi I mean. She's a gentle soul and I can't even imagine what being forced to watch as a monster used her power to destroy and kill did to her. I admit, I wasn't sure what to make of you at first. I don't exactly have the best experience with your Clan, but you've proved that you're very different from that bastard Madara."

I snorted.

"Like thats very difficult," I drawled, "But you are right. Most of my Clan are bastards."

Kyuubi giggled. I smiled and bowed slightly to her.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Kyuubi, but we should go," I said, "I can't maintain this link indefinitely and time is still passing outside."

"Please Sasuke, call me Kyu," she said with a smile.

I returned it and nodded as I broke the link. With a jolt, I found myself back in my body across from Naruto, who was rubbing his temples.

"Sorry, did that give you a headache?" I asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, just a bit," he said.

He gave a sigh.

"Man, I feel like a total idiot now," he said, "I'm sorry I doubted our friendship."

He held out his hand.

"Can we put this behind us?"

I rolled my eyes and hugged my friend. Naruto looked surprised, before he hugged me back.

"Naruto, your my best friend," I said as we broke apart, "Don't ever forget it."

Naruto just grinned. Unfortunately, our moment was interrupted by the arrival of a cat masked Anbu.

"Sorry for interrupting, but Lady Tsunade has asked to see you Uchiha," said the Anbu.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, better go see what the new Hokage wants," I said, "See ya later Naruto!"

"See ya!" said Naruto as I jumped away.

* * *

I arrived at the Hokage office at the same time as Shikamaru and his Father.

"Troublesome, so you got called to?" muttered the lazy Ninja.

"Yup, apparently so," I said as we entered the Office.

Inside, Tsunade was stood by the window, staring out over the village. As we entered, she turned around and sat at her desk where two Chunin Flak jackets were sat.

"Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, thank you for coming," she said, "Now, I may be new to the Village and technically not even inaugurated as Hokage yet, but this needs to be done. I have met with the Jonin and other Shinobi of the Village who saw the Chunin Exam Finals and read the reports of the battle afterwards and have come to the decision that, for your performance in both, you are ready for promotion. Congratulations you two, you are now Chunin."

I blinked as Shikamaru muttered his catch phrase under his breath. Well, that was unexpected.

"But Lady Hokage, I didn't really finish my match," I said.

"True, but you were able to stop the Shukaku from going on the rampage," said Tsunade, "It was also thanks to you convincing Kin Tsuchi to defect that we found out about the Invasion to begin with."

"That was hardly difficult," I muttered, but didn't protest any more as Tsunade handed me my new Flak Jacket.

* * *

"KANPI!"

I smiled as I drained the cup of Saki I had been given. It had been a few hours since Tsunade had called Shikamaru and I to her office to promote us and Teams 7 and 10, along with Kin, Anko and our sensei had gathered to celebrate.

"Man, I can't believe that Shikamaru got promoted before me," said Naruto as he put his cup down, "I really need to step up my game."

"Heh, I knew he could do it," said Ino, "He may not act like it, but hes really smart."

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru, but I could see the slight twitching in his lip.

"I'm more surprised about Sasuke," said Sakura, "No offence, but you didn't really have chance to show off everything you've got."

"I agree," I said, "But apparently Lady Hokage thought my helping get Kin to defect was worth taking into consideration."

"Not that it was that hard!" slurred Kin, who apparently couldn't hold her liquor, "The only reason I even stayed in Oto was because I had nowhere else to go…"

She frowned.

"Well, and Tayuya."

My eyebrows shot up. I had noticed that my Clanmate had occasionally clutched at her pendent with a sad look on her face when she thought she was alone, but had never thought much of it. Now however, she was rolling the charm between her fingers and I could clearly see what it was. A red spiral...oh hell, I think this is gonna be another cliche! Tayaya being Kins friend and Kin having something from said friend that looked a lot like the Uzumaki clan symbol...eh, I'd find out eventually. For now, I'd enjoy the party atmosphere, good food and booze.

* * *

It was nearly midnight by the time the party wound down, with Choji and Shika having to help a drunk Ino home while Sakura volunteered to help me get Kin and Anko home as both were completely inebriated by this point. Fortunately, they had passed out a short time before so we didn't have to put up with the horrible singing or Anko trying to strip. That had been fun to try and stop since, even when drunk, Anko was a force to be reckoned with.

"Thanks for the help Sakura," I said once we had got my roommates settled in their rooms.

Kin looked especially adorable since she apparently slept with a massive, stuffed rabbit that she grabbed onto like a vice and started nuzzling as soon as we put her into bed.

"Not a problem," said Sakura, "I've got plenty of practice dealing with unruly drunks helping out at home."

"Fair enough," I said as I headed into the kitchen, "You want a cup of tea?"

"Thanks."

We were silent as we waited for the kettle to boil. As we did, I noticed Sakura kept looking around in confusion.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she said, "But...can you hear that?"

I cocked my head on one side. The only thing I could hear was the boiling kettle and the wind in the trees.

"No, what does it sound like?"

"Chanting," said Sakura, "It sounds like someone chanting in a different language just on the edge of my hearing."

She turned slowly on the spot before pointing out the window.

"It seems to be coming from over there."

I felt a cold chill go down my spine. She was pointing at the Naka shrine. That couldn't be a coincidence. Then, a rather horrifying realization came to me as I thought back over all the changes that Sakura had undergone since Graduation. The new battle happy outlook, the desire to be strong, to dominate, to win and fly higher, not to mention the draconic grin that had become her trademark. Then, I remembered the carvings on the wall above the standing stone and all the blood drained from my face.

"Oh shit," I breathed.

"What?"

"I think I know what it is," I said, "But god I hope I'm wrong."

I put down the teapot.

"Come on, I need to show you something," I said.

"What?" asked Sakura.

"Something that, if I'm right, will jump your strength level forwards," I said.

Sakura followed me out of the house and over to the shrine. Once we arrived, I turned to her.

"Oh, before I forget, please don't tell anyone about this," I said, "Its supposed to be a Clan Secret."

"Then why are you going to show me?" asked Sakura.

"Because, if I'm right, theres something down there that only you can use."

With that, I opened the hidden hatch, summoned a werelight and led my teammate down into the Shrine proper.

"Sasuke, what…" started Sakura as she followed me, before she cut herself off, her eyes locked onto the carvings.

Slowly, she walked towards them and, as she did, the feeling of energy swelling filled the room, along with the sound of chanting that reached a crescendo as Sakura reached the wall.

" **Fus...ro...dah,"** she breathed, "That means…"

"Force Balance Push," I said, "Shit, thats not good!"

"Whats not good?" asked Sakura, turning back to me.

Before I could answer, Sakura's eyes shifted to behind me and widened. Before I could react, something slammed into the back of my head and everything went black.

 **And there we go, done. So, a few interesting revelations here.**

 **The Kyuubi is a girl. Yeah, that was pretty much a given. She won't be pared with Sasuke though, just before anyone asks.**

 **Sasuke gets promoted! Its not like he's not good enough and hes much more stable than his canon self, so there's really no need for him to not be.**

 **Another Cliche to add to the pile! Kin is friends with Tayuya who may or may not be an Uzumaki. We'll be finding out pretty soon.**

 **SAKURA IS DOVAHKIIN! I bet no one saw that one coming, despite the nods to TES. She lives in a god damn Tavern and her father's a Nord for Log's sake! This does not bode well for the future though considering Angela said that Ganon has teamed up with another Dark Force.**

 **Next time, the start of the Sasuke Pursuit Arc! To be honest, I have no idea how I'm gonna do it. I mean, most of the fights will be canon with the possible exception of Naruto vs Kimimaro and I really don't feel like going through them all...eh, I'll come up with something. Anyway, please leave a review and any flames will be fed to Sakura since they'll most likely be about her.**


	27. Chapter 27

Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say, so lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 27

I groaned as I regained consciousness. I tried to rub my head, only to find that my hands were bound behind me.

"Well well, looks like sleeping beauties awake," said a mocking voice.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a clearing in the woods not far from the Uchiha compound. Stood over me, gazing down at me with a condescending look on his face, was Sakon of the Sound Four. A quick glance around the clearing revealed that his friends were all here as well. Well, looks like its time to get the next arc of to a flying start. To bad I had no interest in even pretending to go along with them. They had bound my hands in such a way I couldn't use Jutsu or summon my sword, but I still had my…

"Huh, thats interesting," I muttered as I suddenly realized I couldn't reach for my Magic, "You guys wouldn't happen to have given me something, would you?"

Sakon sneered.

"Lord Orochimaru ordered us to inject you with this when we caught you," he said, tossing an empty syringe onto my lap, "I have no idea why though. It doesn't seem to have done anything."

"Very interesting," I muttered, "I wonder where he got that…"

I shook my head. I could worry about where Orochimaru got a drug to remove my ability to use Magic another time, for now I've got more important things to worry about.

"So, who exactly are you guys?" I asked.

"We're the Sound Four," said Sakon, "Lord Orochimaru's elite guard. I am Sakon of the West."

"I'm Jirobo of the South," grunted the largest member.

"Kidomaru of the East," said the spider user.

"Tayuya of the North," muttered the only girl of the team.

"Tayuya huh?" I said.

"Whats it to you shithead?" she growled.

"Nothing, I just heard your name from a friend of mine," I said, "I believe you know her. Kin Tsuchi?"

Tayuya's eyes widened, before they narrowed and she vanished. A moment later, the air was blasted out of my lungs as she slammed her foot into my stomach.

"Don't you dare talk about her!" she roared as Kidomaru and Jirobo jumped forwards to restrain her, "Its you and your damned Villages fault that shes dead! If Lord Orochimaru hadn't ordered us to return you alive, I'd kill you right here!"

"Tayuya, enough!" snapped Sakon.

The red-head glowered at him, but did as she was told, wenching her arms free of her teammates and stalking off.

"You'll have to excuse Tayuya, she's been through alot lately," said Sakon.

"I'd make a comment about that time of the month, but I don't feel like getting thumped again," I muttered as I finally regained my breath, "So, what do you want?"

"What we want is for you to come with us," said Sakon, "If you do then Lord Orochimaru will give you power. Far more power than you could ever gain in this shitty little village. That Curse Mark he gave you was just the beginning."

"So thats it," I muttered, dropping my head.

Then I started snickering.

"Whats so funny?" asked Sakon.

"Apparently Orochimaru isn't as smart as he likes to believe," I said, "Let me guess, he thinks I'm out for power so I can beat Itachi-nii? Sorry to disappoint, but I have no interest in that. As for leaving this Village, why would I want to do that? I can become plenty strong here with my Teammates help. I guess what I'm trying to say it…"

I looked up and the Sound Four recoiled at the sight of the black energy that was now covering my face and arms, creating a symmetrical, swirling pattern.

"YOU CAN TAKE THAT OFFER AND SHOVE IT!"

With a roar, I snapped my bonds and pounced at Sakon, the energy forming into claws as I did. Sakon jumped out of the way, just barely avoiding the strike that tore a massive hole in the ground.

"What in the world is that?!" gasped Sakon as he stumbled to a stop by his teammates.

"Heh, wouldn't you like to know," I said with a smirk as I flexed my shadowy claws, "Now bring it on!"

I pounced again, aiming to slice all four Sound Nin into pieces, only for them to poof into logs at the last second. However, that didn't change the fact that the logs and the trees behind them were sliced into four. I growled and turned on my heel, just as Sakon's fist slammed into my side. He blinked in confusion as my only reaction was to try and crush him. Before I could however, my arm was caught in a web spat by Kidomaru and pulled back by Jirobo. I growled and pulled, yanking both members of the Sound Four towards me as I turned on my heel and lashed out with a kick, extending the darkness outwards and forming it into a blade as I did. It was only by Replacing at the last moment that the two Nin were able to avoid being bisected.

Tayuya chose that moment to jump at me with a Kunai aimed at my back. The knife slammed into my back and sparked off the shadow energy that covered my body, although it did cut away my shirt, revealing the swirling energy on my skin, right before the knife shattered. Tayuya jumped back, evading the swipe I took at her that carved four claw marks into the ground, despite not touching it.

"What are you?!" demanded Kidomaru, wide eyed.

"You seem surprised," I said, "This is the power that Orochimaru 'gave' me, although a friend of mine did give it a boost. Now, why don't you all just shut up and DIE!"

I lifted my arm and all the darkness on my body shifted and ran up the limb, morphing into a massive blade of shadow.

"Tch," said Sakon, "What a pain."

My eyes widened as all four Nin vanished. Next moment, my concentration was broken as countless blows slammed into my body that was currently unprotected by my Curse Mark. The loss of concentration caused the blade I'd formed to dissipate and my Seal to deactivate.

"Aw crap," I muttered, right before a foot slammed into my stomach and sent me into a tree.

I tried to get up, but the Seal had used up all of my Chakra, leaving me completely helpless.

"Damn, that was really dumb," I muttered, "I let the Seal take over…"

I looked up as the Sound Four advanced on me, their own Cursed Seals active.

"Whats the matter shithead?" growled Tayuya, "Run out of steam?"

"Heh, maybe, but I still got enough for this," I muttered, activating my Sharingan, "I would normally avoid using this, but I have no interest in finding out what Pedomaru wants with me. Man...GLERK!"

Before I could even think of snagging the four of them in a Tsukuyomi, Jirobo suddenly grabbed me from behind in a chokehold and started draining my Chakra. Considering I was already low, it didn't take long for me to lose consciousness.

* * *

When I next opened my eyes, it was to the sight of the white ceiling of my Soulscape.

"The hell?" I muttered as I sat up, "Why am I…?"

"You've been placed in a state of near death."

"GAH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice and spun around. Walking towards me through the mist was Black Rabbit, looking around with some interest.

"Alright, I can understand Angela being able to get here since shes basically a Fourth Dimensional Being, but how the hell are you here?" I asked.

"Through a combination of your connection to the Rabbit Contract, your Cursed Seal and a few techniques that I learnt from Lady Kaguya herself," said Black Rabbit.

"Fair enough, my next question is why are you here?"

Black Rabbit gave me a sly look.

"Well, even if it was unwilling, they gave you the pill needed to activate your Curse Mark to Level 2. They probably think that its still connected to Orochimaru."

I blinked.

"Alright, but that doesn't answer my question."

Black Rabbit sighed and sat down on the floor.

"The Curse Mark works by drawing in Natural Chakra and injecting it into the hosts body, resulting in a pseudo-Sage Mode," she said, "Normally, such a technique would require a lot of training to be able to safely absorb and control the energy, but the Curse Mark helps regulate it thanks to some enzymes sourced from an individuals rather interesting Kekkei Genkai. Now, while I didn't intend to teach you this quite yet, we can use this fact to help you use our Sage Mode."

My eyes widened

"Wait, so I could learn Sage Mode with my Curse Mark?"

Black Rabbit nodded.

"ALRIGHT!" I yelled, "So, what do we do?"

"Simple, we use the Mark as a catalyst for drawing in Nature Chakra," said Black Rabbit, "You'll still have to remain still in order to absorb Nature Chakra in order to initially enter the State, but once there, the Curse Mark should be able to help you maintain it."

"Thats awsome," I breathed, wide eyed, "But...can we even practice absorbing Sage Chakra in here?"

Black Rabbit grinned.

"With Lady Kaguya's power? Definitely."

She snapped her fingers and the world around us bent and reformed into the Black Garden.

"The hell?" I said, looking around, "How did…?"

"Your bodies still back on Earth," said Black Rabbit, "However, I separated you're Astral Body from your Physical one and pulled it here. You will have a physical form, so long as you remain within the Garden. If you leave, you'll be catapulted back to your body. Now, lets begin."

* * *

3rd person POV, Konoha, Hokage's office

"Are you sure?" asked Tsunade, staring at the pink haired girl across her desk wide eyed.

"Yes, I am," said Sakura, "Sasuke has been kidnapped. I'm not entirely sure how, but he was showing me something in his Clan Compound when someone appeared and knocked us both out. When I came too, I Sasuke was gone, but when I went outside, I saw a group leaving with Sasuke."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Was he…"

"He was unconscious," said Sakura, narrowing her eyes at the Village Leader.

"Calm down Sakura, I just had to be sure," said the Hokage before the pink haired girl could explode, "Did you recognize the attackers?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No, but one of them was wearing a Sound headband.

"Orochimaru," hissed Tsunade, "Tenzo, who do we have on standby?"

An Anbu appeared from nowhere.

"Unfortunately, most of the Shinobi above Chunin class are out of the Village my Lady," said the Anbu, "The only Chunin available is Shikamaru Nara."

"I see," muttered Tsunade, biting her thumb, "He's a friend of Sasuke's, correct?"

"Thats right milady," said Sakura, "We were classmates."

"Alright, in that case, I want Shikamaru here five minutes ago!" said Tsunade.

* * *

Five minutes later, a remarkably alert looking Shikamaru arrived in Tsunade's office.

"Shikamaru, I have a mission for you," said Tsunade, "Late last night, Sasuke Uchiha was taken by Shinobi from the Hidden Sound."

"Taken? You mean he was kidnapped?" asked Shikamaru, looking surprised.

Tsunade nodded.

"Yes, and I really don't think we want to know what Orochimaru intends to do with him. Normally this would be a mission for Jonin and Anbu, but thanks to the Invasion, they are all out of the Village doing missions. Thats why I want you to gather up a team of Genin and go after them."

"But...understood."

"Good. You have 30 minutes. Gather your team and leave as soon as you can!"

Shikamaru nodded and vanished. Tsunade slumped back in her seat with a sigh.

"Damn it, why did this have to happen now?" she growled, "As if we don't have enough to worry about with the Akatsuki!"

She sighed and pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Maybe I should...no, I'm not that desperate."

She opened a draw in her desk and slipped the paper inside, causing it to fall open briefly and reveal what was on it. A black handprint with the kanji for Black Hand picked out in red.

 **And thats where I'm gonna end this. I admit, I'm having fun working on this again. Anyway, onto the notes!**

 **Sasuke shows off what he can do with his Curse Mark and puts the Sound Four on the backfoot. Unfortunately, he loses his grip on its power and ends up paying for it. Now hes in their hands, although they may regret it.**

 **Also, hes now learning Sage Mode! That should be cool. And dangerous.**

 **So, Tsunade's worried, however, it seems that she may have a hidden trump card. But just who is the Black Hand? As if you can't guess!**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Next time should probably wrap this arc up. Possibly. It depends on how I do it. Anyway**


	28. Chapter 28

Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Before I forget, I should point out that the Elemental Nations is not Tamriel. Tamriel is an entirely different continent located to the west of the EM. However, that does not mean that certain elements of TES won't be showing up. Anyway, Enjoy!**

Chapter 28

Half an hour later and Shikamaru had gathered his team and were ready to go.

"Alright, are you guys ready?" asked Shikamaru, looking over his gathered teammates.

Neji Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi and Naruto Uzumaki all nodded, all looking serious. While they didn't all necessarily like the Uchiha (couch, Kiba, cough), none of them wanted to see him fall into the hands of Orochimaru.

"In that case, lets…"

"Wait!"

"Oh, what now?" grumbled Shikamaru.

He turned to the source of the voice and saw Sakura running towards them.

"I hope your not here to ask to come along," he said.

"Thats not it," said Sakura, "I know I'm still not up to the level I need to be just yet. I just wanted to say something."

She marched forwards and grabbed Naruto by the collar. The green clad by gulped as he stared into her eyes, some part of him noting that there was a ring of yellow around her pupils that he'd never noticed before.

"Listen up Naruto," she said, "You had better bring Sasuke back, got it? If you don't, I'll eat you alive."

The last part was said with an edge to it that sounded almost like a growl and made Kiba and Akamaru cringe away from her as their instincts roared at them about the Alpha predator before them. Naruto on the other hand was unaffected and gently pulled Sakura's hand away from his collar.

"Don't worry Sakura, I won't fail," he said, "I can't afford to. If I do, I'll be letting down my best friend and I refuse to do that! I'll bring him back, no matter what! That is the promise of a lifetime!"

Sakura smiled and nodded at her blond teammate.

"Enough stalling Naruto, lets go!" shouted Shikamaru.

"Right, don't worry Sakura, I'll make sure Sasuke comes home!" called Naruto as he ran to join the rest of his team.

"Good luck!" shouted Sakura as the Sasuke Retrieval Team ran out of the village.

* * *

Naruto was worried. It had been a few hours since they had left the Village and in that time, the Sasuke Retrieval Team had been paired down to just him, with each member being forced to remain behind to deal with one of the Sound Four. Choji had been the first to go, facing off against a massive Earth Style user with the ability to sap Chakra, followed by Neji who had stopped to fight a spider-like archer, followed by Kiba and Akamaru, who had been tackled away by a two headed, androgynous boy.

He and Shikamaru had managed to momentarily reclaim Sasuke, but a fifth Sound Nin had come out of nowhere and snatched it away, forcing Naruto to continue on alone while Shikamaru stayed behind to deal with the red-head. Now Naruto found himself facing off against Kimimaro, the apparent leader of the Sound Four who had just finished explaining the exact reason that Orochimaru wanted Sasuke. He wanted to use some Immortality Jutsu to take over Sasuke's body.

Naruto stared at Kimimaro, before he snorted and burst out laughing. The sickly Bone user narrowed his eyes at the Jinchuriki.

"And just what is so funny?" he asked.

"Its just, you really think that Sasuke will just roll over and let Orochimaru take his body?" said Naruto, "Don't make me laugh. Sasuke's way to strong for that!"

"That doesn't matter," said Kimimaro, "My Master has already marked Sasuke Uchiha. He belongs to him now."

Naruto's laughter immediately vanished.

"What was that?" he growled.

"I said, Sasuke Uchiha belongs to my master," said Kimimaro, completely unaware of the hornets nest he was poking.

"I thought thats what you said," said Naruto, tightening his grip on his sword, "Now I'm through playing. I'll make you pay for that!"

He crouched.

"Lets go Kyu!" he said.

" **Right!"** said the Fox.

Naruto smirked as he felt the Kyuubi's Chakra flow through him, changing his eyes to red and causing his whiskers to thicken. He pushed off, shooting towards Kimimaro at incredible speed. His sword flashed, only for the Sound Nin to raise his arm and somehow block the sword with it.

"What the…"

"Your sword can't cut me," said Kimimaro as his arm bones slowly extended out of his palms.

Naruto jumped back as the Bone user stabbed at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Fine, lets try this," he said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Countless clones appeared around the pair, all wielding their own swords as Naruto pulled his shield off his back.

"Lets see if you can take on all of us!" he yelled and the Clones all charged.

However, Kimimaro quickly proved that his skills far outmatched Naruto's innate talents with a sword as he sprouted more bone spikes and started systematically destroying the clones. However, Naruto was still good enough to block the attacks so remained unharmed.

"Bones? How in the world...is that a Kakkei Genkai?"

Kimimaro smirked.

"Indeed, this is the Shikotsumyaku," said Kimimaro as he pulled out a sword formed from his arm bone, "It allows me to turn my bones into my weapons. However, these are not simple bones, they are compressed and harder than steel."

He glanced back at the coffin that contained Lord Orochimaru's next body, which was beginning to smoke. Just a little longer.

"Now behold," he said, "The Camellia Dance."

And with that, he went into motion, moving with grace and fluidity that made Naruto, as a budding swordsman, go green with envy. That is until he was forced to block a barrage of powerful attacks that made short work of his remaining clones and forced him back. Then, just as suddenly as he had begun, Kimimaro stopped. Not that it mattered because he had already destroyed all the clones.

"Its time," said Kimimaro, "The next step towards Lord Orochimaru's ambition."

"Wha…"

Naruto followed Kimimaro's gaze to the coffin, that was now giving out a huge amount of smoke and the seals were starting to break. He narrowed his eyes and readied himself. He had faith in Sasuke, but there was no telling what these bastards had done to Sasuke.

BOOM!

The seals chose that moment to explode, causing the coffin to blow apart in a shower of broken planks. Kimimaro and Naruto watched as a shadow shifted in the smoke, slowly getting to his feet. Naruto noticed that the shadow's hair seemed longer than normal and there were two spikes sticking up out of it.

"Sasuke?" breathed Naruto as the figure of his best friend stretched, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Right on time Uchiha," said Kimimaro, "You should hurry back to the Sound while I…"

He stopped talking as Sasuke vanished. Then, a moment later, Kimimaro was sent flying as the Last Uchiha's foot slammed into his cheek and sent him flying across the clearing.

"Why would I want to go to the Sound ya mopy bastard," said Sasuke as he put his foot back down, "I ain't going anywhere near Pidomaru without a cattle prod and a squad of Anbu."

Sasuke turned to Naruto and grinned.

"Hey Naruto, nice timeing," he said.

Naruto stared at his friend for a moment, before he slowly pointed at him.

"Er, Sasuke?" he said, "Why is your hair pink?"

It was true. Whatever had been done to him in that coffin had resulted in some pretty interesting physical changes, the least of which was his lengthened hair that now reached the small of his back and had turned to a light shade of pink. The two spikes Naruto had seen in the smoke were actually a pair of black horns that extended back from his forehead and vaguely resembled rabbit ears while blood red tribal tattoo-like markings surrounded his eyes and formed a vaguely eye-shaped marking on his forehead. A pair of lines ran from his eyes down over his chest, forming a bird-like shape with wings that stretched over both shoulders and formed a symmetrical shape that vaguely resembled a tree with nine circles running down the 'trunk'.

Sasuke grimaced and tugged on one of his pink bangs.

"Blame the Sage Mode," he said, "There was more of a physical change than I was expecting."

"You…" growled Kimimaro, "How dare you!"

"How dare I what?" asked Sasuke, turning back to the Sound Nin, "Not be an obedient puppet for Pidomaro? Sorry, but I'm not interested in becoming a meatsuit for that bastard."

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes as he got to his feet.

"Fine, if you won't come willingly, I'll just knock you out and drag you to Lord Orochimaru!" He said.

Sasuke smirked.

"You really think you can beat me?" he asked.

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes and vanished, reappearing behind Sasuke with his bone blade at the ready.

"You cannot defeat my resolve," he said.

Sasuke's smirk just widened as he clasped his hands in a snake seal.

"Wood Style: Binding Briar!"

Kimimaro's eyes widened as the ground under him erupted and a number of thin, thorny vines erupted and shot up, aiming to wrap around him.

"What the?!" gasped Kimimaro, swiping at the vines and cutting them up before they could bind him.

"When did you get Wood Style?" asked Naruto.

"While you were out looking for Lady Tsunade," I said, "Kakashi asked one of his old Anbu buddies to show me some Wood Style so I could add it to my repertoire. I also discovered that my Sage Mode is perfect for using alongside my Sub Elements since it strengthened my Chakra."

He grinned and put his hands in the Ice Style seal.

"Now, lets end this. Ice Style: House of Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

The ground beneath his feet froze, the ice rapidly spreading until the entire meadow was frozen. Then, with a horrible screeching sound, mirrors began to form at apparently random points.

"Followed by, Ice Style: Devouring Fang of the North!" said Sasuke and the ice immediately shattered.

Naruto paled and jumped back, remembering how devastating that Jutsu was from the Prelims. And this time, Sasuke didn't need to hold back because they were outside. Sasuke grinned as the ice dragon formed with a shrieking roar. This time, the dragon was more than twice the size as it was when it was last used and had a pair of horns that were identical to Sasuke's. Kimimaro paled. Even with his hardened bones and Cursed Seal, if that thing hit him, he was finished.

"Game over bone boy!" shouted Sasuke and the Dragon dove.

"Crystal Style: Burst Crystal Falling Dragon."

A pink dragon nearly the same size as Sasuke's came barreling out of the woods on the far side of the meadow and slammed into Sasuke's, causing both crystalline constructs to shatter into a million glittering pieces. Sasuke gave a grunt of annoyance as the rest of the ice from the Jutsu faded.

"Where did that come from?" asked Naruto.

He got his answer a moment later when a girl there age with fair skin, dark eyes and light blue hair in a spiky ponytail with short strands of hair framing her face. She was wearing a short, teal kimono with a grey turtle neck and short sleeves with a jade-green rope belt around her waist, red shorts, light purple wrist bands and navy blue sandals.

"What are you doing here Guren?" growled Kimimaro.

"Looking for you," said the girl, Guren apparently, "You're so late that Lord Orochimaru was forced to use a different body."

Kimimaro twitched as Guren turned her gaze on the two Leaf Ninja.

"So, I take it Sasuke won't be joining us?" she asked.

"Not on your life," said Sasuke.

"I see," muttered Guren, "In that case, you will need to be eliminated. Kimimaro, lets get them!"

"I may have failed to obtain Lord Orochimaru's body, but I can at least carry out this order!" snarled the Bone user as he readied himself.

"Ready Naruto?" asked Sasuke as he clasped his hands in a seal and flared his Chakra.

"You betcha buddy!" said Naruto with a grin.

The wind blew through the meadow as the two sides stared each other down. Then, on an unseen signal, both groups leaped into action.

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

 ***Ducks rotten veg and Kunei from the crowd* Alright, put the pitchforks down! I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but this honestly was the best place to end it. You can assume that the rest of the fights go as Canon. Mostly. I'll explain what I mean by that later.**

 **So, Sasuke's out and in his new Sage Mode! His pink hair in that state came from Black Rabbit, who's hair also turns pink when she's ready to fight. Hes also got rabbit ear shaped horns and markings that were inspired by the Blood Devastation from the Warbeasts have in No Game No Life, with my own spin on it. Since it also makes his Chakra that much stronger, it also makes it easier for him to use Sup Elements.**

 **Yes, he learnt Wood Style off screen. What? Its not like it'd be that interesting, just him watching as Yamato makes the grass grow. Also, WOOT, Sasuke's gonna have Crystal Style after this! Speaking off, does anyone know what Chakra Natures make it up? Or rather, what the accepted make up of it is in the fandom community? That'll be a big help later on.**

 **And so with that its time for me to sign off the, what, third chapter of the day? Next time, Naruto and Sasuke vs Kimimaro and Guren! Should be fun, no? Until then, leave a review!**


	29. Chapter 29

Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say, so lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 29

"Rabbit Sage Combat Arts: Bunny Bruising," said Sasuke, slipping into a ready stance.

Guren raised an eyebrow.

"Rabbit Sage?" she asked, "Are you kidding me?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Don't underestimate the Rabbit Clan," he said, "They can do a lot more than just nibble your bum."

Guren gritted her teeth.

"Don't you mock me!" she roared, forming crystal blades on her wrists as she charged the Uchiha.

CRASH!

Guren's eyes widened as Sasuke shattered her blades with a palm strike.

"W-wha...OFF!"

Sasuke slammed his other palm into her gut and Guren felt a pulse of Chakra shoot through her, causing her muscles to momentarily lock up as she was sent flying.

"Don't know much about Sage Mode, do you?" said Sasuke with a smirk, "It doesn't just give me a massive boost to my Jutsu, but also my physical prowers. I can easily break a weak Jutsu like that with my bare hands."

Gurens eyes flashed in rage as she ground her teeth in fury. She hated being underestimated at the best of times, but to be dismissed out of hand by Leaf Village trash, and someone who had turned down her Masters generous gift...screw level one, she was gonna crush this bunny loving fool!

Sasuke's grin became rather fixed as the enraged girl activated her Curse Mark and black lines spread across her skin, creating an interlocking series of hexagons.

"Maybe I shouldn't have pushed her so hard," he muttered as the Curse Mark spread and changed her skin to dark brown.

In her level two state, Guren had the standard brown skin and lengthened hair, which had lightened to a shade of lavender, as well as yellow eyes and a pair of sharp looking horns that curved up from her temples and pointed forwards, meaning they could be used to gore her opponent. She lowered her head and charged, aiming her horns at Sasuke's midsection.

"And over we go," said Sasuke as he vaulted over the charging Sound Nin.

"WHY YOU!" roared Guren, spinning around and unleashing a wave of crystal shuriken at Sasuke.

"Ice Style: Shuriken Snow Storm!"

Both waves of crystalline shuriken clashed against one another, before Sasuke was forced to jump back to evade a sharp spike of crystal that would have impaled him. He flipped in the air and spun, drilling into the earth and vanishing.

Guren growled and looked around, watching for the inevitable attack.

"Wood, Ice, Water and now Earth?" she growled, "Just what the hell is this guy?"

"Who me?"

She stiffened as Sasuke suddenly erupted out of the ground behind her, a handful of lightning Chakra in his hand.

"I'm just a little bunny. Chidori!"

Guren bent her spine, just barely avoiding taking the assassination Jutsu straight to the spine. Even so, it was only the swift application of her Crystal Armour that prevented the attack from tearing a hole in her stomach. Sasuke continued his dive and vanished back into the earth.

"Graaahh, come out and fight you coward!" roared Guren, her fury only increased by the affects of her Curse Mark.

She clasped her hands and the earth began to shake as pink crystals erupted from the ground. Underground, in the tunnels created by the Earth Style: Rabbit Warren Jutsu, Sasuke let out a yelp as the crystals suddenly shot out of the walls of his tunnels, nearly impaling him. The enhanced senses from his Sage Mode alerted him of another crystal emerging below him.

"Crap!"

He jumped, using his Chakra to drill through the ground, just barely avoiding taking the razor sharp crystal to the gut. Even with Sage Chakra flowing through him, that still would have hurt. He scowled and clapped his hands together.

"Sage Arts: Vajra!" he said.

He opened his mouth and spat out a bolt of lightning shaped like a Vajra, a type of ceremonial weapon. Despite its small size, it exploded with incredible force when it hit the crystal shield Guren threw up, shattering it completely.

"What the hell?!" gasped Guren.

Sasuke shifted his hands to a snake seal and the ground erupted, a plank of wood shot out, allowing him to land on top of it. He smirked and started rapidly going through handsigns. Guren narrowed her eyes. Wherever he was planning was looking to be very big if the number of handsigns was anything to go by. To bad she had no intention of allowing him to finish! She clasped her hands and the ground under her crystallized, rippling and forming into the shape of a dragon.

"Crystal Style: Burst Crystal Falling Dragon!" she roared.

The Dragon roared and surged towards Sasuke. The Uchiha smirked, apparently not in the least bit concerned as he continued his seals. The reason for his lack of concern became apparent a moment later when a wall of sand shot up and blocked the dragon, right before it could crush Sasuke, twining around it and crushing it into dust.

"Nice timing Ilia," called Sasuke, not stopping his seals, "Although you did cut it a little close."

"Well in that case, next time I'll leave you to get crushed," said the Ichibi Jinchuriki as she floated up next to her friend, "So, mind telling me whats going on?"

Ilia looked a lot better than when Sasuke had last seen her. The most obvious changes were that the bags around her eyes had lessened, although she still had the black rings as they were were what marked her as the Ichibi Jinchuuriki, and her skin was no longer pale as a ghost. She had also gained some weight and no longer looked quite as sickly. Its amazing what being free of the grip of a crazy monster that took over when you slept could do for you. Or maybe it wasn't.

"I'll fill you in later," said Sasuke, "For now, do you think you could distract her while I finish this Jutsu? I'm nearly done."

"Fine," said Ilia, glaring down at Guren and placing her hands in a seal, "Sand Tsunami!"

The ground around Guren erupted, parts of it collapsing as the tunnels Sasuke made lost their strength from the sudden change from rocks to sand. The sand erupted, surging up and over, aiming to crush Guren. The Crystal user scowled and slammed her hands together, pulsing her Chakra. The sand closest to her immediately began to crystallize, forming a shield that prevented the rest of it from getting her. Ilia narrowed her eyes and pulled her sand back before it could be completely crystallized.

"Who the hell are you?!" growled Guren, rapidly losing her patience with these worms.

"Ilia of the Desert," said Ilia, "I'm a Shinobi of the Sand and an alley of the Leaf."

"Is that so?" said Guren, "In that case, you can DIE WITH HIM!"

In response to her will, the crystals around her shattered and surged towards Ilia in a razor sharp rain of gleaming death. Ilia's sand surged out to meet it, both substances meeting with a mighty crash, throwing out a cloud of glittering dust.

"DIE!" roared Guren, bursting out of the cloud with a massive lance of crystal formed over her arm.

Before she could hit Ilia however, more sand shot from her gourd and formed into a massive, clawed paw that caught the lance, stopping it cold. Guren growled and tried to push through the sand. Before she could however, a sudden burst of Chakra and light drew both girls attention to Sasuke, who had just clapped his hands together, causing a huge amount of Lightning Chakra to form around them.

"Done," he said with a grin that, in the light thrown by the jumping sparks, looked downright diabolical, "Sage Arts: Spear of Indra!"

He drew his hands apart, a bar of lightning forming between them. Once it was fully formed, he grabbed the center of the lightning bolt as if it was solid, causing the entire thing to release a massive blast of lightning that blinded both Guren and Ilia. When they could see again, they gaped when they saw that the lightning had somehow transformed into a massive, two pronged golden trident that was crackling with energy. Sasuke smirked and spun the weapon and readied to throw it.

"Ilia, move!" he shouted and threw the weapon.

Ilia did as she was told and jumped away while Guren just scowled and bit her thumb.

"SUMMONING JUTSU, RASHOMON!" she shouted.

A massive puff of smoke appeared, clearing to reveal a huge, green demon faced gate. Sasuke smirked.

"That won't work," he said.

An instant later, the spear struck and exploded into a massive surge of golden lighting that was visible from the Hidden Leaf and blinded Ilia. Once she could see again, she could only stare at the massive crater that was all that was left of the meadow they had been fighting in. She stared at the devastation for a moment, before turning to her friend. Sasuke was on his knees, panting as his Sage Mode transformation faded, his hair shortening and turning back to black, his horns retracting and the red lines retracting back into the seal on his shoulder.

"What in the world was that?" she asked.

"That was the most powerful Sage Art of the Rabbit Clan," said Sasuke, "Its also somewhat of a pain since it uses all the remaining Sage Chakra within the users body, forcing them out of Sage Mode in the process."

He looked up and eyed the destruction he'd wrought.

"It also wouldn't normally be this devastating, but I basically spent the entire time I was in that coffin gathering Natural Chakra, so I had a lot to power the Jutsu with."

He clasped his hands and the wood pillar he was stood on retracted back into the ground. He moved to got to his feet, but stumbled and collapsed. Before he could hit the ground, Ilia caught him and let him down gently.

"Crap, I can't move," said Sasuke, "Between spending an entire day in that coffin, the aftereffects of whatever they gave me and expelling so much Sage Chakra so quickly, I'm completely drained."

He sighed and rested his head on Ilia's shoulder.

"Need sleep…"

Ilia blushed slightly at the internet contact.

"S-sasuke," she said, but he was already asleep.

The Sand Kunoichi stared down at the sleeping boy, before smiling and gently brushing his hair out of his face.

* * *

Kimimaro vs Naruto

At the same time as Guren and Sasuke started their fight, Kimimaro moved to attack the Uchiha along with his fellow Sound Shinobi.

"Oh no you don't!" roared Naruto, leaping at the Bone user, aiming his sword to impale Kimimaro through the gut. Kimimaro spun, blocking the attack with bones that protruded from his arm.

"Get out of my way!" roared Kimimaro, "Lord Orochimaru ordered me to destroy Uchiha and I must succeed!"

"Like hell I'll let you!" said Naruto, "I am your opponent."

Kimimaro gritted his teeth and glared at Naruto.

"I'm through playing around!" he snarled as he activated his Curse Mark, "I'll crush you then destroy the Uchiha!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"No, you won't," he said as red Chakra began to leak out of him, "Because I won't let you."

The Chakra began to pore out, forming into a bubbling Chakra cloak in the form of a fox. Then, the back of Naruto's hand lit up as the Triforce contained within sensed the presence of Demonic power and activated to protect its Host. Naruto took a stance as his Chakra Cloak morphed into a red tunic and hat with a fox shaped metal helmet protecting his head and a red fox tail hanging from the back. His sword and shield also changed, becoming stained with the same red as his new outfit. In addition to the colour change, his eyes also changed from red back to blue and his whisker marks widened into thick, solid black markings.

"Jinchuuriki Cloak: First Tail Regalia," he said.

"What the…what is that?" demanded Kimimaro.

Naruto smirked as he crouched and vanished. Kimimaro's eyes widened and he quickly brought up his bone sword to block Naruto's attack. They widened even further when Naruto began to push him back, his blade biting into Kimimaro's. The Sound Nin quickly shifted his stance, allowing Naruto's sword to swing past him as it cleaved through his bone sword. Naruto quickly regained his balance and spun, swinging his sword at Kimimaro's legs. Kimimaro hopped over the strike and crossed his arms to block the shield bash Naruto followed it up with. However, as the shield approached Kimimaro, the surface rippled and a hand of red, bubbling Chakra shot out and knocked him across the field and into the trees.

"What the...whats going on?!" growled Kimimaro as he pushed himself away from the hand.

The phantasmal limb retracted slightly and grabbed onto a branch. A moment later, Naruto came flying into the trees with his sword aimed at Kimimaro once more. The Sound Nin quickly found himself on the backfoot as Naruto went into a string of rapid attacks that were not only faster but much stronger than any of his past ones, to the point that they were damaging the bone's Kimimaro had pulled out. The last Kaguya gritted his teeth. This was impossible! How could this Leaf Village scum be fighting on par with him in Level One?! It was inconceivable!

His thoughts were cut off as he suddenly coughed, spitting blood over the branch in front of him. He wiped the blood from his lips and glared at it. He didn't have time for this, he had to carry out Lord Orochimaru's orders! He turned his glare on Naruto as his Curse Mark glowed and spread, stepping up to level two. He winced slightly as the Curse Mark forcefully activated his Kekkei Genkei to create his bone spikes and tail.

"You're stronger than I thought," growled the dying Shinobi, "But this is where it ends! No one can beat me at Level 2!"

He reached back and grabbed the top of his spine as it emerged from his back. He felt a little sore that he was being forced to use the Clematis Dance against an opponent like this, but he was out of time.

"Clematis Dance: Vine!" he shouted as he pulled out his spine and swung it at Naruto in one movement.

The blond Jinchuriki skidded to a stop and jumped out of the way to avoid the whip, tossing something at Kimimaro as he did. The bone user ducked the throwing weapon and twitched his wrist as Naruto landed, causing the whip-like spine to spiral around him.

" **Naruto, move!"** shouted Kyu.

Before he could, the spine suddenly snapped tight, trapping his arms at his side. At the same time, Kimimaro formed the Flower on his arm and charged.

"Clematis Dance: Flower!" he roared.

" **NARUTO!"**

Naruto flinched and closed his eyes as Kimimaro bore down on him with his attack. Then, right before it could hit, something came rocketing out of the trees and slammed into the back of Kimimaro's head, sending him crashing to the floor, Naruto's Gale Boomerang falling to the floor beside him.

"Whoo, that was lucky," said Naruto as his bonds went loose, freeing him.

" **No quips, just finish him!"** shouted Kyu.

"Right, Finishing Blow!" he shouted as he jumped off the branch and aimed his sword straight down.

Kimimaro opened his eyes and saw the red tinted sword coming towards him at high speed. He tried to move, but his body chose that exact moment to lock up.

" _NO!"_ he roared in his mind.

To late. Naruto's sword point pierced Kimimaro's chest and, thanks to the Kyuubi's Chakra empowering it, passed right through the bone shell the Kaguya had created. Kimimaro went rigid, his mouth and eyes wide, before Naruto flipped off and he went limp. The blond swordsman swung his sword to clean off the blood, spun it around his hand and sheathed it, his outfit changing back to normal as Kyu's Chakra receded.

"L-lord Orochimaru!" gasped Kimimaro as his body turned black, "I'm sorry!"

He seemed to explode with a dull boom, leaving behind nothing but a clear, heart shaped crystal with a small, red heart inside.

"What the hell?" muttered Naruto, picking up the crystal, "What is this?"

" **I have no idea,"** said Kyu, **"But I can sense a lot of power inside. We should take it with us, someone might be able to tell us more back at the Village."**

Naruto nodded and slipped the crystal into his pouch. As he did, the air was suddenly lit up by a huge blast of light and Chakra that he instantly recognized as Sasuke's. He immediately spun around and sprinted back towards the meadow, inwardly marveling at how far he had come over the course of his fight. He arrived back in the meadow to find the formally picturesque spot had been turned into a massive, scorched crater, in the middle of which was Sasuke and Ilia.

"Sasuke!" he shouted, sprinting towards his friend and fellow Jinchuriki.

"Shhh!" hissed Ilia, as Naruto skidded to a stop beside them, "Hes asleep!"

Naruto quickly did as he was told and flopped down next to the pair, ignoring Kyu's squeals about how cute the two looked with Sasuke in Ilia's arms like that.

"Hes OK, thats a relief," said Naruto, "But what are you doing here Ilia?"

"Oh, my team and I were sent to deliver a message to the Hokage," said Ilia, absently running her fingers through Sasuke's hair, "We were on our way there when we received word of Sasuke's kidnapping and told to help you intercept them. Lucky we did or Sasuke might have been in trouble."

"I see," said Naruto, "Well, thanks for your help."

Ilia smiled and nodded.

"NARUTO, SASUKE!"

The two Jinchuuriki looked up as Kakashi and Anko appeared at the edge of the clearing, sprinting towards them.

"Are you OK?" asked Kakashi as the two Leaf Nin reached the small group.

"Yeah, we beat the ones Orochimaru sent after Sasuke," said Naruto, "Um, are the others OK?"

"There battered and bruised, but OK," said Kakashi, "Neji and Choji will be in hospital for a while, but the others are fine thanks to the Sand Nin."

He nodded to Ilia, who returned it.

"What about Sasuke, is he OK?" asked Anko, kneeling down next to Ilia and the still sleeping Sasuke.

"He's fine," said Ilia, "He just used a big Jutsu and is exhausted."

Sasuke chose that moment to mumble something that sounded suspiciously like 'so soft' and snuggled closer to Ilia, wrapping his arms around her waist as he did.

"Well, he certainly seems fine," said Anko with a sly grin, "You know how many girls back home would kill to be in your position girly?"

Ilia promptly went bright red and let out a very Hinata -esque EEP.

"Alright, enough messing around," said Kakashi, "I'll carry Sasuke, but we need to get back the the Leaf quickly before Orochimaru sends anyone else."

The Nin quickly sobered and helped settle the sleeping Uchiha on Kakashi's back. They quickly got underway, reaching the sight of what could have only been Temari's fight in no time. Ilia rolled her eyes at all the sliced up trees. She loved her sister dearly, but she had a tendency of going a tad overboard.

"Kakashi!"

The group paused as a Chunin landed on the branch they had just landed on.

"What is it Kazuya?" asked Kakashi, clearly eager to be off.

"We've found a live one," said Kazuya, indicating to his team who was trying to free the red-headed Sound Nin from her wooden prison without crushing her, "What should we do?"

"Bring her back to the Village," said Kakashi, "We might be able to get some information out of her."

The Chunin nodded and jumped away to relay the orders. With the distraction gone, the group continued on there way, arriving back at the Village in no time. They were met at the gate by a worried looking Sakura and Kin, who wasn't aloud to leave the Village due to her probation. At the sight of Sasuke on Kakashi's back, both girls let out a sigh of relief.

"See Sakura, I told you I'd bring him back," said Naruto.

"I never doubted you for a second Naruto," said Sakura with a smile.

Sasuke chose that moment to let out a groan.

"Your back is rock hard Kakashi," he muttered.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke yelped as he suddenly found himself under the scrutiny of three different females.

"Are you OK? Your not hurt, are you?" asked Kin, clearly the most worried about her Clansman.

"No, I'm fine," said Sasuke as he got of Kakashi's back.

He stumbled slightly, but Naruto caught him.

"Whoo boy, I'm still really tired though," he said.

"You can rest at the hospital," said Tsunade as she and Shizune walked up.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Hospital?"

"We need to make sure the Sound Nin didn't give you anything that could be harmful," said Tsunade.

"Whatever, so long as I can sleep," said Sasuke, "Hey Naruto, think you can help me there? I don't think I can walk yet."

"Sure thing," said Naruto.

Sakura quickly joined her teammates as they headed through the gates, just as the sun crested the Hokage mountain.

 **And done. Well, that was a ton of fun. I hope I did the fights justice. I'm not entirely happy with the fight between Naruto and Kimimaro, but hey, at least its done!**

 **I may have gone a little overboard with Kimimaro and Gurens temper, but they have both been screwed over when it comes to being Orochimaru's meatsuit and the person who was supposed to replace them basically told them to go screw themselves, so I think its acceptable.**

 **I hope I did a good job coming up with Guren's Curse Mark. I reason that, if she was meant to be his body at some point, she would have a Curse Mark. So, I gave her one.**

 **For those that don't know, a Vajra is the weapon Asura has in Soul Eater. Its a type of ceremonial tool used in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It also happens to be the weapon of the god of Storms, Indra, which is what the Spear of Indra jutsu was named for, not the Uchiha Clans ancestor. Speaking of, the design for that Jutsu came from Problem Children.**

 **The Spear of Indra is a powerful technique, but it takes a while to use and consumes all the Sage Chakra the user has, making it a one shot deal.**

 **Naruto's special Jinchuriki mode comes from the fact he's got a part of the Triforce. Since it resulted in turning Link into a Wolf when he entered the Twilight and seems to have the ability to protect its wielder from Dark Powers, I reason that it wouldn't take Demonic Chakra entering its host very well. As such, it turns the power into something that's far less harmful to Naruto, but at the cost of some power. In other words, there's no risk of him losing his mind to the Chakra, but hes also not as strong as a normal Jinchuriki in the same state.**

 **Kimimaro turned into a Piece of Heart...is that important or am I just sleep deprived? Only time will tell since, honestly? I'm not sure either.**

 **Anyway, since I want to go to bed, I'm gonna sign off here. Please leave me a review!**


	30. Chapter 30

Outsider Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

Being reborn can be a pain in the ass as any Outsider can tell you. However, at least most are born as their own person. I wasn't so lucky and now I have to put up with being one of the most hated characters in Anime. Oh, and Fangirls. Help.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say, so lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 30

It had been a couple of days since I had been kidnapped by Orochimaru's goons and for some reason I was still in hospital.

"Seriously, why am I still here?" I growled, "I'm not hurt and Lady Tsunade already determined that there's nothing wrong with me.

"You're still here because I want Jiraiya to take a look at that Seal," said the Hokage as she entered my room.

"Oh, that," I said, "You don't need to worry, its been…"

"Hmm, interesting…"

"GAH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I suddenly realized that Jiraiya had appeared behind me without me noticing and was currently studying my Cursed Seal.

"GOD DAMN IT PERVY SAGE, YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!" I yelled.

Jiraiya twitched and slammed his fist into my head.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" he yelled, "Its bad enough Naruto calls me that, I don't need anyone else doing it."

"Its accurate though," I muttered.

"Well Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade, completely ignoring the exchange.

Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"Ahem, yes, well, I can safely say that this is no threat to him whatsoever," said Jiraiya, "It has the same base as Orochimaru's Curse Seal, but it has none of the dark Chakra thats in Anko's, or even that girl you had me examin."

I cocked my head on one side.

"Girl?" I asked.

"Yes, we managed to take one of the Sound Four prisoner," said Tsunade, "The red-headed girl with the foul mouth."

"Really? Huh," I muttered.

"We haven't managed to get much out of her other than threats and coarse language," said Tsunade.

"Try sending Kin in," I said, "I bet she could convince her to talk. Hell, she might even convince Tayuya to switch sides."

At the two Sannin's curious looks, I elaborated.

"They were friends in the Sound," I said, "Fairly close as far as I can tell. Mainly because when I brought up Kin Tayuya nearly killed me."

"Is that so…" muttered Tsunade, "On another note, if your Curse Mark is fine, you can go."

"By the way kid, is it possible to replicate what was done you yours?" asked Jiraiya.

I paused.

"Thats...a good question," I said, "Thing is, I wasn't the one who did it. I guess I could ask the Rabbits…"

"It is possible."

"GAH!"

We all jumped at the unexpected voice and spun around. Sitting on the other bed in the room was Black Rabbit, although she looked a little translucent and was flickering slightly.

"WHOA, HOT BUNNY GIRL!" yelled Jiraiya with hearts in his eyes.

"Don't bother," I said, "Shes not really here."

"Who is she?" asked Tsunade.

"Black Rabbit, the Sage of the Rabbit Clan," I said, "Shes also the one who taught me the Rabbit Style Jutsu."

Black Rabbit held up her hands and two orbs of thick, black fluid appeared. I recognized it as the substance that was held in the Black Garden.

"If you inject this into those with Curse Marks, it will cleanse them of Orochimaru's presence," she said.

"What exactly is that stuff?" I asked.

"You really don't want to know," said Black Rabbit with a smirk, "Now, I'm done here. This Projection Jutsu takes up a lot of Chakra. See ya."

She flickered and vanished, leaving the two orbs floating above the bed.

"Man, you're one lucky guy Sasuke," said Jiraiya, who was still drooling.

I ignored him in favor of grabbing the two orbs. Despite appearing as if they were liquid, they were actually solid to the touch.

"Right, I'm off," I said, "I gotta go shift Anko's Curse Mark. Later!"

"Bring Kin to Tayuya's room in a couple of hours," said Tsunade as I opened the window, "I want to see if your right. Having another of Orochimaru's men defect will be useful, especially one as high ranking as one of his personal guards."

"Got it," I said and jumped out of the window.

* * *

It didn't take me long to get home vire rooftops and I soon landed in front of my house.

"I'm ho...YIPES!" I yelped as a hand grabbed me by the collar and dragged me inside.

I gulped as I found myself staring into a pair of angry green eyes with yellow around the pupil.

"Alright Sasuke, enough is enough," said Sakura as she dragged me into the living room where Naruto, Anko and Kin were waiting, "You are gonna spill."

"Spill what?" I asked as Sakura shoved me into an armchair.

"How you know everything you do," said Naruto, "And don't try to say that your friend Angela told you. There is no way she could have told you everything you know, its way to convenient."

I looked around at my friends and immediately knew I wasn't getting out of this without telling them. Then again, its not like the timeline hasn't already been royally buggered. Between Naruto being the Hero, Sakura being Dragonborn, me still being loyal to the Leaf and Kaguya not being a crazy bitch, there is no way that the future can play out the same, no matter what. I let out a huff.

"Alright, I'll tell you," I said, "But kindly keep your tempers until after I'm done."

"Is it that bad?" asked Anko.

I shrugged.

"Not really," I said, "Just sayen. Now, first things first, a quick lesson on interdimensional theory."

The others blinked.

"You mean the idea that each decision we make spawns new timelines?" asked Sakura.

I blinked. Considering how much she'd changed and how she acted these days, it was easy to forget that Sakura was actually pretty smart.

"Thats it exactly," I said, "The theory goes a little deeper than that though. Basically, it also states that any work of fiction that exists also has its own universe where its real. You follow?"

"What does this have to do with your apparent impossible knowledge?" asked Kin.

"I was getting to that," I said, "So, extrapolating out the logic that any fictional worlds in this one have a world of their own, that also means that there are worlds out there where this world, or one very similar to it, are fiction as well."

I looked around at my friends, taking in their poleaxed expressions.

"Now, imagine what would happen if a person from one of those worlds died and was somehow reborn into the world of a popular Manga as one of the characters, with all of his memories still intact," I continued, "Do you honestly believe that he'd be content to allow things to go as they did in the story he read?"

Everyone stared at me, wide eyed.

"So you mean to tell us," said Sakura slowly, "That you are this...hypothetically reborn person?"

I nodded.

"Yep."

"And you didn't tell us...why?"

"Ever heard the phrase that knowing about ones own future is bad for them?" I asked.

"Then why tell us now?" asked Naruto.

"Because any chance of this world going the same way as the original is now gone completely," I deadpanned, "Had it done so, you would still be an idiot in orange, Sakura would still be a fangirl, Kin would be dead and I would be in Orochimaru's hands right now."

Kin went white as the others looked mildly sick.

"I-I'd be dead?" she said in a small voice.

"Orochimaru used you as a sacrifice for his Edo Tensei," I said.

"What about me?" asked Anko.

"Honesty? I have no idea," I said, "You weren't exactly a big character in the Manga."

I paused.

"You were responsible for Orochimaru coming back to life after Sasuke kicked his arse at his own Immortality Jutsu though."

"Huh?"

"Oh, theres a chunk of the bastards Soul in your Curse Mark."

There was silence as Anko went ghost white, her hand jumping to her shoulder.

"That reminds me," I said, reaching into my pouch and pulled out one of the orbs Black Rabbit had given me, "The Rabbit Sage gave me this. Apparently it can remove the bastards Soul…"

Before I could react, Anko and snatched the orb and swallowed it whole.

"Er, I'm not sure thats how it…" I started, right before Anko stiffened.

She let out a groan and curled up, grabbing at her shoulder as a sickly purple smoke began to leak out of the mark, forming into the shape of a screaming face, before it vanished with a dull thump.

"Huh, guess that does work," I said, "Hey Anko, you OK?"

Anko groaned and pushed herself up.

"That. Hurt," she said, "But I feel...lighter? Definitely stronger…"

"Well, thats a relief," I said, "Now, getting back on topic…"

" **Interesssssting."**

We all jumped and looked down at the sudden voice.

"Er, Sasuke, wasn't the floor in here wooden a moment ago?" asked Sakura, sounding a little nervous.

I don't blame her though considering the floor had somehow turned jet black with a thick crease going down the middle. Then, the crice opened, revealing a firing orange eye with a serpentine slit pupil.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" yelled Naruto as we all jumped up to the ceiling and stuck there with our Chakra.

" **Calm yoursssselvessss Morssselsss,"** said the hissing voice, **"Thissss isss sssimply a projection."**

"It called us morsels," whimpered Kin.

"Who are you?" demanded Anko.

" **I am Jormungandr, the true Bosssss of the Sssssnakessss,"** hissed the owner of the massive eye.

Anko and my eyes widened, although for completely different reasons.

"B-but I thought Manda was the Boss of the Snakes?" she stuttered.

Jormungandr scoffed.

" **That whelp isss nothing more than a worm, trying to gain power by allying himsssself with Orochimaru,"** he said, **"The traitorssss that follow him are weak compared with the true Ssssnake Clan."**

I narrowed my eyes.

"True Snake Clan?" I asked, "What does that mean?"

The eye shifted to look at me and I got the distinct impression that the World Serpent was smiling.

" **Oh, you'll sssssee little Rabbit,"** he said, **"Now, my time here isss almossst up, but before I go, I hereby grant you, Anko Mitarasssshi, permisssssion to ssssummon the Sssssnake Clan in itssss entirety. You are now free of Orochimarussss grip and are a worthy ssssummoner. When you are ready, come to our Realm and we ssssshall teach you the art of the Sssssage."**

With that, the eye closed and vanished. As soon as he was gone, I released my Chakra flow and dropped down to the chair.

"I think I need a drink," I muttered, "Oh, and Anko? I would highly suggest that you don't try and summon that thing."

"Why not?" asked the Snake user.

"Because, according to the legends, Jormungandr is the Midgard Serpent, large enough to wrap around the entire planet and bite his tail," I said getting wide eyes from everyone.

"A-ah, right," said Anko, "Good plan."

"So, any other bombshells you want to drop on us?" asked Sakura.

"Hmm, oh, you're basically a Demigod," I said blankly.

Silence. Then…

"HUH?!"

"Yep, the fact you were able to absorb the knowledge contained in those carvings in the Shrine means that you are Dovahkiin," I drawled, "Or, in the common tong, Dragonborn. Basically, you have the body of a Mortal, but the blood and Soul of a Dragon, the children of the Dragon God of Time, Akatosh."

Everyone gaped at me.

"How...is that apart of this world to?" asked Kin.

"Nope, in fact, the Dragonborn is a part of the Elder Scrolls, not Naruto," I said, "Incidentally, I have to ask Sakura, where is your family originally from?"

"Um, well, my Mums from the Leaf, but my Dad doesn't talk much about his homeland," she said, "I think he called it Sukairaimu though."

"Which translates to Skyrim," I drawled, "Hes a Nord, isn't he? Tell you what, get him to tell you the Tale of the Dragonborn and about the Elder Scrolls."

"Anything else?!" growled Naruto.

"Wellll…"

"Oh god," groaned Anko.

"Don't worry, this isn't particularly mindblowing," I said, "After the fight with the Sound Four, we managed to capture one of them. A redhead named…"

I suddenly found myself being grabbed by the collar and hauled to my feet by a manic looking Kin.

"Where is she?!" she demanded.

"Hospital...room...34," I gasped.

Quick as a flash, Kin vanished, leaving me to collapse back into my seat with a gasp.

"Um, hello?"

We all looked around to see a confused looking Anbu stood in the door.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Um, the Hokage's asked to see you Sasuke," said the Anbu, "Now if at all possible."

I sighed and got to my feet.

"Fine, it'll give everyone time to absorb what they've been told," I said, "How about we all meet up at the Cloak and Dagger later?"

"Why my place?" asked Sakura.

"I want to see if I can convince your Dad to play the lute," I said with a smirk, "If not…I know a few songs that'll definitely get the mood going."

Sakura gave me a flat look and we quickly disbursed.

* * *

I arrived in the Hokage office to find a smirking Tsunade and a confused looking Sand Team.

"You wanted to seem me Milady?" I asked as I entered the room.

"Yes, thank you for coming so quickly," said Tsunade, "Tell me, do you three know the contents of this message?"

The Sand Trio shook their heads.

"Only that it contains the details of a new peace treaty," said Tamari.

"Oh, it does," said Tsunade, "But it looks like Sasuke's performance in the Battle scared the Sand more than I would have thought possible. They are apparently desperate to repair relations between the Leaf and the Sand to the point where they are offering a political marriage in order to bind the two villages closer."

Immediately the entire Sand team froze, eyes wide, while I let out a long suffering sigh.

"Let me guess, I'm a part of this?" I asked.

"Correct," said Tsunade, "The marriage offer is between 'the one who defeated and purified the Shukaku' and the youngest daughter of the Kazekage."

 **And done. So, lets add another cliche to the bunch, this time the transfer of a Jinchuriki to the Leaf after they scared their previous Village shitless. Believable? Maybe not, but its more believable than some of the reasons I've seen in fics over the years.**

 **So, Anko is now free of Orochimaru and has a brand new skillset into the bargin. The True Snakes are not your garden variety serpents like Orochimaru summons, as the fact they have the World Serpent as the Boss should tell you.**

 **Sasuke finally gets pinned down and forced to spill everything. In the process, he basically shatters his friends perception of the world. Yes, Sakura's Dad is a Nord. Will that play into anything? NO FUCKING SHIT!**

 **And with that I'm done. Please leave a review on the way out!**


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